India’s two-wheeler segment is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by electrification and smart digital solutions. As the country shifts its focus toward sustainable mobility, two-wheelers are leading the charge in electric vehicle adoption. Electrification not only offers environmental benefits but also introduces advanced connectivity features. Integrating IoT-based innovations such as vehicle telematics into electric two-wheelers helps enhance rider safety.
The need for these digital solutions stems from the fact that despite scooters and bikes being the backbone of India’s urban, semi-urban or rural transport, two-wheeler riders are among the most vulnerable road users across the country. As per the “Road Accidents in India 2023” report, two-wheeler riders’ account for the highest share of road incidents with 45% or 77,539 fatalities recorded in 2023. Additionally, another report from the Crime Reports Bureau stated that in the city of Bengaluru alone, 1,368 vehicles were stolen in April 2025, of which, 1,327 were two-wheelers.
These reports emphasise the urgent need for advanced rider safety features like live tracking, predictive fault detection, riding pattern analysis and other communication-based theft and safety services.
Safety Applications Enabled by Telematics Data
Telematics solutions use data gathered by multiple embedded sensors and connectivity modules to form an intelligent ecosystem in electric two-wheelers. This dynamic system provides smart and intuitive safety mechanisms which can learn and adapt to reduce the risk for riders.
Some of the safety applications which use telematics data to help improve rider safety include:
- Rider Behaviour Analytics: Telematics platforms on electric two-wheelers continuously analyse riding behaviour by collecting data based on speed, braking patterns, cornering and acceleration. The data is then translated into insights showcasing risky riding patterns such as harsh braking or erratic manoeuvres. The telematics platform offers behavioural nudges in the form of in-app feedback or gamified rewards, which help riders to correct their habits and acts as a deterrent for such accident-prone practices.
- Predictive Maintenance and remote diagnosis: IoT sensors are used to continuously monitor the health of various critical systems in EV two-wheelers. This includes tracking battery health and motor temperature, as well as brake wear and tyre pressure. Any anomalies detected are then immediately alerted to riders either via the two-wheeler’s dashboard or mobile application. The early intervention helps prevent unexpected breakdowns, while also improving vehicle reliability, which inevitably translates to safer journeys.
- Accident Detection and Emergency Response: In the unfortunate case of an accident, the telematics system in electric two-wheelers can instantly detect the severity of the crash via gyroscopes and accelerometers. The system then triggers alerts and sends the vehicle’s GPS location to designated emergency contacts – drastically dropping response time which translates to quicker medical assistance, significantly reducing the risk of fatalities.
- Proactive Risk Avoidance: Along with analysing riding patterns, the advanced IoT systems in the two-wheelers also proactively mitigate risks with sensors which detect road hazards, potholes and other obstacles. Machine learning models analyse accident-prone zones and traffic conditions to provide intelligent guidance to riders to avoid any dangers – creating a proactive safety net during each ride.
- Vehicle Security & Live Tracking: Telematics systems also provide live GPS tracking on modern electric two-wheelers, offering riders real-time location updates, unauthorised movement and tampering alerts, crucial for theft prevention and recovery.
Challenges & Considerations
While the integration of IoT enabled Telematics systems in modern electric two-wheelers do provide proactive safety features, there are a few challenges and concerns to be addressed:
- Rider Privacy: With IoT sensors in EV two-wheeler telematics systems collecting data on how and where people ride, manufacturers must strictly follow the country’s data protection law. Also, it is important for OEMs to provide riders clear control on what data can be shared or collected.
- Affordability: In a cost-sensitive market like India, it becomes essential that smart safety solutions remain affordable to consumers. This can be ensured via government policy support, modular designs that allow phased upgrades and economies of scale.
- Reliability of AI algorithms: Most of the smart safety solutions depend on a lot of AI modules and algorithms. To ensure consistent and predictable operations of these systems, continuous efforts need to be made to ensure fail-safe mechanisms.
Conclusion
The integration of telematics systems in India’s electric two-wheelers marks a transformative shift towards smarter and safer urban mobility. Given the concerns of rider accidents and vehicle theft, features like real-time tracking, predictive maintenance, and automated accident detection are no longer luxuries but critical necessities.
As the Indian two-wheeler industry evolves, telematics solutions will become central to securing a safer, more secure, and sustainable future for urban mobility.
Sharad Bairathi is Managing Director, Embitel Technologies. Views expressed are the author’s personal.