( CNN ) -- Green and yellow auto rickshaws chug through the crowded streets of New Delhi . Tuk tuks sputter on the roads in Thailand to tourists ' delight . Millions in South and Southeast Asia rely on these three wheelers -- known variously as rickshaws , tuk tuks or tricycles -- as an affordable mode of transportation . But while beloved by many , the vehicles are also blamed for bottleneck congestion and pollution , spewing carbon monoxide , carbon dioxide and particle matters that become trapped inside the lungs . `` In many places both inside China and in other Asian countries , the three-wheeler is considered a symbol of a less-than-modern-economy , not appreciated by some image-conscious businessmen and government officials , '' said Ed Benjamin , chairman of the Light Electric Vehicle Association , the trade association for such vehicles . As concerns over air pollution and fuel dependence grow , several Asian companies are vying to become the Tesla of motorbikes to bring zero-emission , light electric vehicles to the masses . South Asian cities have the worst air pollution in the world . There is major interest in turning electric in China , and to a lesser extent in Vietnam , Thailand and India as well , said Benjamin . Chinese drivers hesitant to adopt electric cars . The move to electric is also gaining traction with motorcycle manufacturers , said Benjamin . `` Piaggio , Honda , Yamaha , and others have had production of gasoline three-wheelers that we expect to see in electric versions , '' he says . Japanese company pushes for innovating motorcycles . In the effort to revolutionize the industry , a lanky , young engineer turns on a motorcycle at a warehouse set amongst farmland about 70 miles north of Tokyo . The engine hums to life with a low whooshing sound -- so quiet you have to crane your ear to hear it . The white motorbike 's display panel lights up . There are no plumes of smoke gushing out of the exhaust or the odor of gasoline . Terra Motors is a Japanese start-up specializing in electric motorcycles and tricycles , which it plans to market in Southeast and South Asia . Japanese motorcycle brands like Honda , Yamaha , Suzuki and Kawasaki dominate the Asian market outside of China , because customers trust the brands and Japanese engineering , said Toru Tokushige , CEO of Terra Motors . The motorcycle industry has to evolve and adapt to electric energy , to avoid becoming like Kodak films , which did n't evolve to digital quickly and was rendered obsolete , he said . Tokushige hopes that Japanese electric vehicles will catch on as their motorcycles and tricycles originally did several decades ago in South Asia . His company is trying to market electric versions in Vietnam , Philippines and India . `` Each country has its own preferences for the eyes and smile , '' he said referring to the front of the vehicle where the headlights are located . The vehicles carry lithium batteries that take about 10 hours to recharge . But would these vehicles work in countries where there are frequent power outages ? Tokushige said charging the vehicles are like charging cell phones and would usually occur overnight , when electricity usage is typically low . Several communities are already adapting to electric vehicles and that there are examples of `` reverse innovation '' which is innovation from developing countries that spreads to richer countries , he said . In Bangladesh , he found garages , propped up by bamboo and tin , transformed into charging stations for electric vehicles . `` Some people charge at these garages , '' he said , showing a picture he took in Dhaka . `` They 're already achieving a new kind of business where you rent a parking space and pay to charge . '' With fuel prices increasing , Tokushige says there is growing willingness to adapt and to find new business opportunities with electric vehicles . And unlike electric cars which are hampered by the lack of charging stations , the electric tricycle taxis usually travel less distance than cars , so they 'd be likely to travel closer to their electric source , he says . `` I believe that air and noise pollution issues , along with the ever increasing price of petrol , will push all of these high density communities to electric two- and three-wheelers , '' Benjamin said . Non-OECD Asian countries are expected see as much as a 200 % increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector by 2030 , according to Asian Development Bank . The Philippines is one of the first nations to make a concerted push towards electric vehicles , which it plans to roll out first in Manila and to the rest of the country . It plans to lease 100,000 new electric taxi trikes to drivers to replace its sputtering , gas-powered vehicles by 2016 .
Auto rickshaws or tuk tuks are cheap mode of transit for people in Asia . They 're also seen as contributing to congestion and pollution . Expert says electric vehicles are becoming more popular .