In a world where technology is changing constantly and at an incredible pace, the right time to buy an electric scooter is a rather subjective one. News about electric vehicles may have become mainstream only recently, but research and development towards finding solutions and making it a feasible alternative for everyday use has been on for years amongst various manufacturers and indeed at TVS Motor Company.
In the recent past, the electric wave has started to make itself felt in India thanks to a number of decisions and incentives announced by the government. Electric vehicles, especially scooters, have truly captured people’s imagination and thanks to progress in technology and government action you can get your hands on an electric scooter that fulfils every urban necessity today. If you are still wondering if this is indeed the right time to buy an electric scooter, read on and we hope to lay your worries to rest.
There are two major factors that has brought this electric wave to the forefront. Technology today has progressed enough to make it possible for an electric vehicle to do pretty much everything you would use a traditional combustion engine vehicle for. Electric scooters, in particular, can get along with every urban commute than you could think of, much like a petrol powered version.
Moreover, the government has played a pivotal role in swinging favour towards these electric vehicles by announcing several incentives and setting ambitious goals to control emissions in the near future. There are certain other factors too, like a host of new electric vehicle start-ups trying their hand at getting on board with the electric vehicle wave, bringing with them eyeballs that follow their tech-savvy stories. Also, let’s face it, no one living in a city enjoys waking up to smoggy mornings. Reducing emissions is something everyone is aware of and a large number of us would like to contribute to as well.
Electric scooter technology is ready
The dream to go electric has been around since the ‘90's, but sadly it remained just that for a long time. The only real progress was made by way of hybrid models, where electric motors and battery packs worked alongside petrol-powered motors. This has been ably demonstrated by the car manufacturers like Toyota. This was a step in the right direction and helped engineers understand the complexities of moving towards a full-electric system.
For two-wheelers however, given space constraints, a hybrid model was never feasible. The transition has thus been from petrol powered to low-speed electric vehicles, as we have seen in the past. However, now we have reached a stage where we have high-speed electric scooters like the TVS iQube, that replicates everything you would use a conventional scooter for, while throwing in a whole lot more.
While batteries and motors have obviously been around, they were large, unwieldy, low powered and painfully slow to charge. For years, they were more of an expression of possibilities that could find a spot in a sci-fi movie, rather than a focused solution to propel future generations of vehicles.
Battery manufacturing was expensive, still is to some extent, and provided poor output. Many hours of charging would result in a few minutes of mobility before the vehicle had to be tethered to a charging cable again. Technology has vastly changed this scenario today with battery pack compositions that can hold a greater amount of charge for extended periods of use and the progressive volumes that has made manufacture cheaper.
Think back to portable gadgets we used at the turn of the millennium, and you should have an answer about the progress in battery technology, and, if you aren’t old enough, speak to the elders. They know best.
Now, however, electric vehicles can handle daily commutes as well as a traditional ICE vehicle. They are close to matching up with petrol-powered vehicles as far as cost of acquisition too, helped by subsidies and incentives from the government. Then there are the many benefits that come with this new fuel for propulsion. No longer do you need to start up and let the motor warm up, and then reach a certain number of revs to have performance from the vehicle.
Batteries and motors have been optimised to such an extent that not only do they manage themselves well to run flawlessly but can also deliver better responses and far better acceleration from the word go. Add to that, fewer moving parts in the motor that makes for lower maintenance costs and things look pretty damn good.
Government incentives to own an electric scooter
You’ve seen the articles over the past year or so, about bills and budgets being passed by the central government to facilitate quicker adoption of electric vehicles. With people focusing on sustainability and living smarter, the government has seen a chance to address intense pollution levels seen across our major cities.
Along with subsidies for purchasing electric vehicles, they are also focusing on turning parts of public transportation and government fleets to electric vehicles as well. This along with rapid development of charging infrastructure in major cities, to enable a larger number of people to choose zero-emission mobility for everyday use.
To this end, state governments are also creating plans to facilitate electric scooter adoption for both consumers as well as manufacturers. For example, Delhi offers subsidies of ₹5,000 per kWh of battery capacity along with a waiver of up to ₹30,000 in road tax and registration fees. On the other hand, Maharashtra is waiving off road tax and vehicle registration fees for all EV owners completely, alongside early bird incentives for two wheelers.
The list of electric vehicle incentives is long, and you can check what your state has to offer here .It may just help you decide on that electric vehicle that you have been researching and bring home this electric scooter experience
Conclusion
It won't be long before every other vehicle on the street will be electric. So, to answer your question - yes, now is the perfect time to buy an electric scooter and get a head start into the world of smart mobility. Even in its infancy, you have options, formidable ones at that, along with reassurance from the government itself. Not only that, but smart vehicles are also here to change the way you commute. Riding electric was never this convenient, and a quick test ride on the TVS iQube electric scooter will surely convince you of it. What are you waiting for? It’s three easy clicks to book a test ride.
If you are undecided on what the best electric scooter is for you, read this to make sure you choose the right one.
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