Why India Needs to Drive an All-Electric Scooter Today

An All-Electric Two-Wheeler Market in India

Lately, there has been a lot of buzz around electric vehicles in India. Many large automobile companies like Maruti and Mahindra are looking at launching affordable electric motor cars to please the larger masses in India. The company is also introducing shared mobility using an all-electric vehicle fleet in the country. But in order to drive mass adoption of electric vehicles in India, we need to focus on the two-wheeler segment, as the two-wheeler category accounts for nearly 75% of the overall transportation fleet in the country. India is the world’s largest two-wheeler market with more than 20 million vehicles being sold every year. The country is expected to witness volume growth in its domestic two-wheeler market. The total cost of owning and operating electric two-wheelers would be about Rs. 2 per km by 2020, as per BNEF.

China is already witnessing the two-wheeler electric drive, which has already accounted for the reduction of almost 80% of the total carbon dioxide emissions saved by EVs worldwide. India could also follow the Chinese success story in building an all-electric two-wheeler market. The Chinese have exempted electric two-wheelers from registration and requirement of a driving license, which has significantly driven electric two-wheeler adoption in the country.

Also, read Best Electric Scooters In India

It is expected that India could forego about 15% of the total transportation emission by adopting this mechanism. Did you know that the electric scooter is around 4-6 times more efficient than a petrol scooter? The batteries and electric motors used in electric vehicles make it more efficient than petrol engines. The cost of running and maintenance is also lower for an electric scooter. A normal scooter operates at about Rs. 70–100 per 100 km. An electric two-wheeler would cost about Rs. 10–30 per 100 km (with an electricity price of Rs. 3-6 per unit). The cost of owning and operating electric two-wheelers should further fall to Rs. 1.5 or even lower per km by 2025.

However, high battery cost, the absence of an adequate number of charging infrastructure and slow battery charging are the main challenges that the electric two-wheelers face today.