Rising fuel prices and ever-increasing pollution has given us strong reasons to switch to zero-emission vehicles. At the personal level, opting for an electric vehicle will surely ease up the burden on the pocket, though the environmental benefits will take some time to show results.
The federal government has announced various schemes and incentives for both manufacturers and end-users to boost the adoption of electric vehicles.
Ather 450x
OLA S1
TVS iQube
Revolt RV 300
Bajaj Chetak
Schemes like FAME II not only offers subsidy on the purchase of all types of electric vehicles, it also emphasize the importance of setting up the ecosystem which includes the building charging infrastructure, setting up supply chains and more.
Additionally, the benefits and subsidies offered by the state governments will also help sweeten the deal.
Unlike the early days when there was a push for electric vehicles without any viable option available, we have quite a few vehicles to choose from based on our preference. Here’s a quick list of the best electric two-wheelers in India right now.
Ather 450X
Calling Ather the flagbearer of Indian electric two-wheeler companies won’t be an exaggeration. This EV startup from Bengaluru has gradually spread its wings to more than 25 cities and is expanding its fast-charging grid to all the major cities in the country.
The Ather 450X is among the most striking electric two-wheelers on the streets right now and comes with a sleek yet modern design. The scooter offers a range of 118 km and has three different riding modes. It offers a top speed of 80 Km/hr and has features like a 7-inch touch-friendly LCD dashboard that can help you navigate through the traffic and respond to calls on the phone paired with the scooter.
The Ather 450X is available at a premium price of Rs. 144,500 and can be tested out at the experience centres in various cities. Interested users can book a test ride via the website.
OLA S1
Ola’s scooters were one of the most hyped and most anticipated vehicle launches of recent time. The fact that the company broke all the records on the day one of the sales of its scooters is enough to tell you the story.
The Ola S1 is available at a price of Rs. 100,000 and offers a range of around 120 km on a single charge. The scooter draws power from an 8.5 kW electric motor coupled with a 3.97 kWh battery pack. The premium version – Ola S1 Pro is priced at Rs. 130,000 and offers a range of 180 km with a top speed of 115 km/h. The scooter is available in 10 different colour options and can be booked via the Ola app or the website. On-road pricing of both the scooters vary based on subsidies offered by the state and central government.
That being said, deliveries seem to be a concern for the company and it has already missed the delivery deadline a few times. Additionally, since the scooters are sold online, people are yet to see the scooter being driven on the road and are slightly sceptical about its real-world performance.
TVS iQube
The fact that traditional vehicle companies have taken a long time to switch to green vehicles is notable as TVS and Bajaj are the only traditional makers in this list of 5. The TVS iQube offers a range of 75 km in a single charge at a top speed of 78kmph.
Design is among its key highlights as the company has ensured that the electric scooter doesn’t look too fancy yet maintains all the modern aesthetics and features like a large TFT dashboard, parking assist features, USB charging port to top-up your phone on the go, LED tail lamps and more.
The scooter benefits from TVS Motors’s nationwide dealer network and can be tested at one of its showrooms in your city. The price of TVS iQube starts at Rs. 90,000.
Revolt RV 300
Revolt RV300 is the odd one in this list of electric two-wheelers since it is the only electric street bike. Offering a range of up to 180 Kms, the Revolt RV300 comes with three driving modes Eco, Normal, and Sports. It goes without saying that the Eco mode offers the best range but the speed is capped at 25 km/h. The sports mode offers a max speed of 65 km/h but with a max range of 80 km in a single charge. The normal mode maxes at 45km/h and 110 km in range.
This electric bike comes with a removable battery that can be replaced by one of the Switch stations that the company is building. The Revolt RV300 comes with a 1.5-kW motor with a 2.7-kW battery pack and has an internet and cloud-connected features like most new-age electric vehicles have. The company recently announced that it is expanding its network to 70 cities in the country and plans to launch an all-Indian Revolt RV1 to replace the RV300 which is currently priced close to Rs. 95,000.
Bajaj Chetak Electric
The name Bajaj Chetak strikes the chords of emotion and nostalgia – something that the company wanted to use when it launched its first electric scooter. The Bajaj Chetak Electric comes in a couple of variants – Urbane and Premium.
The scooter is powered by an IP 67 rated 3 kWh lithium-ion battery that is paired to a 4-kW electric motor and offers a range of 85kms and 95 km in Sports and Eco modes, respectively. The modern avatar of the good old Chetak comes with features like ‘feather touch’ switchgear, full-LED lighting, Bluetooth-enabled LCD instrument cluster, regenerative braking, and an Intelligent Braking Management System.
That said, the scooter is marred by the limited availability and ever-increasing price which has made it the costliest electric two-wheeler in the country today. Launched last year, the Bajaj Chetak Electric is now retailing at Rs. 187,390 in its home state of Maharashtra.
Apart from these, there are a few more electric two-wheelers from Simple Energy, Okinawa, Hero and Ampere electric etc. however, these are yet to be available on a larger scale. That said, will keep updating this list and will add more vehicles in due course of time.
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