My Experience of using an Electric Vehicle in India and should you buy one

I have been using an electric scooter for about four years now, and I have to say I am impressed! I was probably one of the early adopters of electric scooters in India, and I wasn’t sure if I would like it. But now, after using it for about four years, I can say, “It is not for everyone.”

Here are my suggestions on using an electric scooter in India and if you too should consider buying one:

The Battery!

My scooter runs about 35 KMs per charge, which is good enough considering it has been four years, and I have been using it without any maintenance. But, the thing is, even claimed 50 KMs is not even good enough for daily use. I am a university student, and my university is about 14 KMs away from where I live. I always have this uncertainty with my scooter that it will be out of battery if I go too far, which is a difficult thing to do. The lack of charging stations is a nightmare. Though building so many charging stations will not be possible for now, but what is possible for the manufacturers is to pack in more battery. Increasing the amount of battery will increase the weight and reduce the performance, but this trade-off is necessary until we find some better technology.

The Speed!

Let’s be honest we have not seen an electric scooter go fast. The electric scooter which I ride goes a maximum speed of about 35 KMs which you might say is good enough for daily use, but it is not. If your scooter has a full charge and you are sitting alone, only then you might expect the top speed, 35 KMs. Adding more weight to an electric vehicle reduces its acceleration and drains more battery.

The Looks!

Electric scooters in India are the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen. Not even the looks but also the build quality of these scooters are very unreliable. The plastic used in electric vehicles has no comparison to Petrol vehicles. People still do not want to own an electric scooter in India because of how bad it looks, and I do not blame them. I own an electric scooter, and it feels funny riding it, especially if you are in a university where students are coming on their new expensive, good-looking bikes.

There are a lot of things I did not cover in this article, like the high prices of the scooters, the charging speed, and the demand for electric vehicles, which are secondary things.

In the end, The rise in petrol prices will make more people buy an electric vehicle. If you can deal with these issues, then an electric scooter is the best thing you can own, and for teenage kids, electric scooters are the way to go. It is eco-friendly, good for your health, and the future of the automobile industry.