In a decade people of India have seen many revolutionary things, like the use of smartphones with the internet has changed many lives. People in India are now open to embrace all the things that make their lifestyle easy and productive. One such thing is an electric scooter. People see it as the best alternative to fuel based two wheelers, but still people in India hesitate when it comes to buying. There are genuine reasons behind it. Let’s see what are the pros and cons of buying electric scooters in India.
Pros of buying an electric scooter in India
There are many positive aspects of an electric scooter and that’s why people’s interest in electric scooters is growing like never before. You can see below the Google Trend graph for the search term ‘electric scooters’. It shows a huge growth in the past 2 years, only the barrier is COVID months where the graph goes down.
The inclining graph clearly expresses that people are getting aware of the benefits of using electric scooters. If you are also interested in electric scooters, here are the pros of buying an electric scooter.
1. Cheapest Alternative to the Rising Fuel Prices
If you own a fuel operated vehicle and you don’t have an alternative choice to travel, then no one can feel the pain better than you. You have to pay the fuel prices which is the highest till now in India (nearly Rs. 100 per litre in May 2021).
And no one knows how pricey the fuel is going to be in the coming days. Sometimes you are about to lose your patience level. The queue in the fuel station is long and you are in a hurry. But, you can’t do anything instead of paying money for fuel. When it comes to electric vehicles, it saves both your time and money. Rather than paying prices for fuel, you can simply charge the battery of your electric vehicle.
The battery power lasts for many hours. You can charge your electric vehicles at night while sleeping rather than stressing about fuel charges. Instead you can save the costly fuel price.
Though electricity is inexpensive in India (at 0.08 dollars per kWh) as compared to other countries. But when it reaches our homes through power distribution companies it becomes 3 to 4 times costly.
Charging the battery of electric scooters takes around 2 to 3 units of electricity. Even if you charge with costly electricity, you pay a maximum of 10 Indian Rupees for around 50 to 60 kilometers. That’s much cheaper than fuel prices.
2. No Air pollution
One of the main reasons for the air becoming so impure and polluted is the harmful emissions released by the smoke of fuel vehicles. We are breathing but don’t know how pure the air is.
So many airborne diseases are becoming common now. In a metropolitan city like Delhi, reducing air pollution is so bad that it has become a political agenda. One such initiation to reduce air pollution is introducing electric scooters.
They run on batteries. So there is no question of any kind of emission. So directly or indirectly, you can say that electric scooters help in restoring the green environment.
3. No Sound Pollution
Another major environmental challenge is noise pollution. There are so many reasons like traffic noise, air traffic noise, construction sites, loud music, etc. Noise generated by the engines of fuel operated vehicles is also among these.
Though automobile companies are working on it and they are successful up to a limit. But, still you can hear a fuel vehicle’s engine noise from a few 100 meters away. The effects of sound pollution are numerous and long term for both the environment and human life.
Compared to fuel operated vehicles, electric vehicles make extremely low noise, which is hearable only to nearby people, otherwise it can go unnoticed. By using electric vehicles, we can reduce noise pollution up to a level at least.
4. Ideal for Short Commutes
In fuel vehicles, even short distance travels on a regular basis can burn your pocket because if you calculate it in gross monthly or yearly, it is costly. But that’s the benefit in electric vehicles.
If you travel a lot in your local areas regarding work or anything, using electric vehicles is the best thing. Electric vehicles are successful on rough roads too.
So if you calculate and compare the distance covered through both electric vehicles and fuel vehicles, you can see the difference in how much money you can save and how you are contributing in creating a pollution less environment.
5. No Driving License needed
In India, people generally hesitate in getting a driving licence for them. There are many reasons. Like people are still unaware about the process of getting a driving license.
They also get demotivated from a few of the cases where people get cheated or charged a lot for getting the license. People don’t want to get into the process of getting a driving license. It’s lengthy and time taking and sometimes costly too.
But here is the good news, you don’t need a driving license in electric scooters which are equipped with a motor of 250 watts with a maximum speed of 25 kms. But it is only recommended to ride any type of vehicle when you are above 18.
6. Affordable Buying Cost
Electric scooters cost almost the same as a fuel operated bike or scooter. So if you can think of buying a fuel bike or scooter then buying an electric scooter is also within your reach.
Now you may ask why I should buy electric vehicles when it costs nearly the same. So the answer to your question is – “think long term”. Fuel operated vehicles need fuel to drive. After one year of buying, you can calculate how much you spent on petrol price.
That’s what you save when you buy an electric vehicle. So no doubt electric scooters are money saving and they are also affordable to buy too.
Like the pros attract you towards electric scooters, there are few reasons that will make you think so many times before you opt for electric scooters. Let’s know them.
READ MORE : Initiatives by Government of India to Promote Electric Vehicle Usage
Cons of Buying an Electric Scooter in India
If you are living in a small city or village of India then it’s not tough to analyze the electricity issues there. Few places in India are yet to get electrified. So from an Indian perspective, here are the cons of buying an electric scooter in India.
1. Scarcity of Charging Outlets
India is still not ready for an unhesitant approach in driving electric vehicles. The reason is the fear of running out of charge. Electric scooters run on batteries which need to be charged regularly for a pleasant driving experience.
What if you forgot to charge and your EV stops in the middle of your journey. The situation worsens when there is no one to help around. We rarely find electric charging outlets in India, and that too in metropolitan cities. But what about the small cities and the villages?
There is only one answer to it – “It’s all your responsibility”. It will take many years, at least a decade, to see EV charging outlets like we have fuel stations in India. So for now, it is advisable to charge your electric vehicles fully whenever you go out, otherwise get ready to go on a walk with your electric vehicle.
2. Untimely Power Cuts
To see power cuts is a daily routine for people in India. If you live in the posh areas of metro cities then you are blessed with less power cuts which also goes unnoticeable because of the power cut alternate solutions.
But what if you live in small cities and villages? In such areas you cannot think of charging your electric vehicle when there is no power supply. Charging your mobile battery is the biggest achievement there. And if it rains or even drizzles, the electric power supply is cut for many days continuously.
Though the trend of solar panels are increasing for commercial purpose in rural areas, but there is a long way to go to install solar panel in every home.
There are areas in India where people are still waiting to get electricity in their homes. Can you think of charging your electric vehicle in such situations?
3. Limited Repairing Shops
The market of fuel vehicles is many decades old. So it’s easy to find their service centers and repair shops in case your fuel vehicle needs maintenance or repairing.
That’s not the case with electric vehicles. If you are out of big cities then it’s hard to find repair shops nearby. You are left with only the option of reaching the official service centers.
Though you can check with other repair shops but they lack the knowledge of electric vehicles working, they may do more damage to it. It is not recommended either.
4. Parts Not Available Easily
Demand leads to supply, the market of electric vehicles is not very satisfactory. If any of your electric vehicle parts gets damaged or it malfunctions then you have to check with the authorized dealers if they have the part and can fix it.
Sometimes you have to make an order for that part. This is not the situation with fuel vehicles. You can easily find their parts in the smallest repair shops because there is a regular demand for fuel vehicle parts.
5. Slow Speed Compared to Fuel Bikes
If you are a person who believes in speed and thrill, then electric scooters may bring disappointment to you. You can get an average top speed of 60 to 70 kmph.
On the other hand, fuel operated vehicles generally provide a top speed of more than 100 kmph. And don’t think of comparing power bikes, they are made for speed and thrilling rides.
Even if we remove the case of fun and thrill and add a case of extreme emergency, people tend to drive a bit fast to reach on time. In such a scenario, the slow speed of electric vehicles gets frustrating.
6. Long Distance Driving is Tough
Currently, electric scooters are meant for small distance drives like a maximum of 50 to 60 kilometers one-way ride if you have a charging facility at your destination. Otherwise make it a 25 to 30 kilometers one-way ride.
What if you want to travel to another city or go on a long drive? It’s a 99% no with electric vehicles if there are no charging outlets as common as fuel stations, or if you don’t have an alternative source of charging in the middle way.
Even if you find an electric charging outlet, you’ll have to wait at least 3 to 4 hours after every 50 to 60 kilometers. It’s a huge time taking process with electric vehicles during long rides. You are only left with the option of fuel vehicles when it comes to covering a long distance.
Also, in highways and expressways, there is a minimum speed instructed for vehicles driving which is more than the maximum speed of electric vehicles. So using an electric vehicle for long distances is a bad idea. It’s both time taking and troublesome.
Note :
- We are not promoting speed driving, it should be only for emergency situations.
- If there is government compliance then you must get a driving license.
- Always drive taking full security measures and following traffic rules.
- Always wear helmets, gloves and shoes while driving.
- Keep your vehicle maintained to prevent any unwanted trouble like malfunctioning.
READ MORE : Two Wheeler Riding Tips for Safe Driving
Conclusion:
You have read both pros and cons of buying electric scooters in India. Government and automobile companies are taking initiatives to come up with more feasible electric vehicles technologies.
But, there is still a long way to go, making the use of electric scooters common in India needs a revolution. It will take at least 10 years for a villager to use electric vehicles happily. But we have come a long way too.
If we compare the progress of electric scooters 5 years back in India, then we can say that there is a lot of progress happening in this field. People have at least started thinking about electric vehicles and comparing them with fuel vehicles.
We can expect to see many advancements in the electric vehicle revolution. For now, in 2021, it totally depends on your location, electric availability, charging facility and driving preferences whether you should buy an electric scooter or not.
If people start buying electric vehicles in India and create a demand for it in the market, we can expect drastic growth in the advancements of electric vehicles. Drive safe, follow traffic rules.