Things to consider before buying an electric scooter in India

The hype around electric vehicles is at an all-time high in the Indian market. While the electric four-wheeler market is still in the early stage, the two-wheeler segment is growing at a much rapid rate. With the ever-improving charging infrastructure and overall better battery technology, now may be the right time to buy your first EV. Here's what to consider before buying an e-scooter.

Unlike complicated mechanical components in an ICE-powered (Internal Combustion Engine) scooter, an all-electric alternative comes equipped with fewer moving parts. By reducing the overall complexity, an e-scooter can be repaired or maintained more easily than a fuel-powered one. This reduces the cost required for regular service of an EV as well. Also, with less number of parts, the possibility of a breakdown is lower.

While Ola Electric or Ather Energy have opted for a fixed battery pack, the likes of Hero MotoCorp have opted for a removable unit. If you have a commute shorter than 20-30km every day, a fixed-type unit will be fine. Otherwise, a removable battery is a blessing in disguise with the ability to juice up almost instantly by swapping the discharged pack.

Generally, it takes about 5-6 hours to fully replenish a battery pack using a regular charger. However, we suggest you choose a scooter with fast charging capabilities. This will reduce the overall downtime required for an e-scooter. With improved battery management systems, the risk of thermal runaway (overheating) has dropped significantly with modern electric scooters.

With the Indian government pushing for the sale of electric vehicles, you should be eligible for a tax refund and other incentives when purchasing an electric scooter. As per Section 80EEB, you can get tax benefits of up to Rs. 1.5 lakh on the interest paid toward the loan taken to purchase an electric vehicle on our shores.

While purchasing an electric scooter is a pricey affair as opposed to an ICE counterpart, the cost of running it is much less. With the ever-rising cost of fossil fuels, an EV makes much more sense now. The only challenge is the downtime required for refilling the batteries is currently higher than refueling a petrol-powered scooter.

Unlike the basic instrument clusters on an ICE scooter, an e-scooter has better consoles with a touchscreen and advanced software. This is primarily due to the higher computational power required by other systems such as a Battery Management System or an Electronic Control Unit (ECU).