Electric scooters are environmentally friendly because they neither create air pollution nor noise pollution. They are ideal vehicles for short-distance travel without any hassle. Although petrol scooters have dominated the market, electric scooters are replacing petrol scooters slowly due to their suitable features and pollution-free operations. The foreign countries have already adopted electric scooters to a great extent but in India, it has just started due to the recent changes in the Government's policy towards the Electric Vehicles(EV) industry.
A total of 2,33,971 electric scooters were sold in 2021 with 1,42,829 registration of the high-speed electric scooter and which was a 132% rise in electric scooters sales compared to 2020. The retail sales value of EVs is expected to cross $1 billion by 2025, with a compound annual growth rate(CAGR) of 63.9% during the 2020-2025 period.
Most people are not showing interest to buy electric scooters due to the availability of fewer charging stations and technicians for electric scooters repair and maintenance and short distance range.
One major constraint to buying a new electric scooter is the budget, a new electric scooter cost more than a petrol scooter even though its(electric scooter) running cost is less. The main reason for the high cost is the less competition in the electric vehicle industry. The battery technology is also in the stage of advancement, the battery requires four to five hours of charge time.
Are you willing to prefer an electric scooter over a petrol scooter but cannot go ahead due to the budget constraint? This article will provide information on converting your existing petrol scooter to an electric scooter with little spending.
How to overcome the budget constraint of electric scooters?
Whatever technology comes into the market, it should be affordable to the common people in order to bring a change. Currently, budget constraint is stopping common people to buy a new electric scooter.
For every technological constraint, there is a hidden solution. Our engineers have developed the idea of retrofitting scooters. A retrofit electric scooter is a petrol scooter converted to electric that is its internal combustion engine and petrol tanks are replaced by an electric propulsion kit and battery respectively. A retrofit saves a lot of money because you need not have to buy a new scooter that costs higher instead convert your existing petrol scooter to electric with the least spending.
The soaring petrol price in recent years has also compelled common Indians to shift towards the consumption of clean energy. Last year the petrol price was recorded at Rs. 116 per liter in a few cities of India and common people found it uneconomical. Short-distance travelers like delivery executives, courier executives, milkmen, and other commuters find electric scooters economical compared to petrol scooters. The running cost of a retrofit electric scooter is as low as Rs. 0.17 per Km whereas for a petrol scooter it's Rs. 3.5 per Km which is about 20 times higher.
Benefits of the retrofit scooter over the new electric scooter:
For common people, it becomes difficult to purchase new petrol or electric scooter by selling the old scooter. The on-road price of a new scooter costs around 1.5 lakh which is too high and the soaring price of petrol makes running costs uneconomical creating a big problem for common people.
The electric propulsion kit(EPK) is the best solution to this problem. Starya's quality engineered EPK 1.0 is affordable and costs only Rs. 35,000/- making electric vehicle technology more accessible for the average family. This is about one-third the price of the new electric scooter.
People need not have to buy a new scooter rather can opt for retrofitting their scooter by purchasing Starya’s petrol to electric scooter conversion kit.
In comparison to a petrol scooter, a retrofit electric scooter can save around Rs. 80,000/- annually assuming the scooter runs 2000 Km per month.
So converting your existing petrol scooter to an electric scooter has multiple advantages and benefits from saving money to cutting emissions. With your retrofit electric scooter say no to greenhouse gases and say Hello to mother nature.
Why converting your existing petrol scooter better than buying a new electric scooter
Converting your existing petrol scooter is better than buying a new electric scooter because you save a lot of money about a lakh from this move. You also reuse your old scooter instead of throwing it into the trash, thus your smoking emitting machine is a whole new eco-friendly machine that delivers the same output at a low cost.
Although a new electric scooter has more features and comfort compared to a retrofit electric scooter it costs too high. The more luxury demands the more cost, is the rule of nature. For common people converting their existing petrol scooter is the better idea.
Some facts about Electric Scooters in India:
Below are some facts extracted from the “Indian Electric Scooter and Motorcycle Market Overview” Report Published in August 2020 by Prescient & Strategic Intelligence
Two-wheeler vehicles hold the largest vehicle share in India with a 70% share of 200 million vehicles on road and 80% of new vehicle sales every year.
Low-speed electric scooters are expected to dominate the EV market by 2025.
48 V Li-ion batteries are the most commonly used power source in the Indian electric scooters and motorcycle market. Its sales volume was 85% in 2019.
Electric scooter sales through online channels are surging.
Electric scooters equipped with Li-ion battery to be the fastest-growing.
Electric scooters and motorcycle use is growing among businesses.
Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu are among the fastest-growing markets for electric scooters. Among them, Karnataka is the fastest-growing market for electric scooters.
Electric scooters and motorcycles can be made more affordable by reducing the price of Li-ion batteries since the battery constitutes 40-50% of the total EV cost.