Kowdiar, Trivandrum: While two-wheeler majors like Yamaha, Hero Honda, Bajaj, Suzuki, etc. are crossing milestones year after year in the number of units sold in the country, electric two-wheeler industry in India is struggling for survival.

It is reported that the major manufacturers of electric two-wheelers are making huge losses. Out of 60 manufacturers, including local assemblers, only a few have managed to remain in the competition.

A major reason for this is the lack of government support for the sector. When developed countries like Japan, Singapore, US, UK and France offer subsidy on the purchase of electric bikes, in India, only Delhi and Lakshadweep give a subsidy for electric vehicles.

Praveen, Sales Manager of Mylakkal Motors, Kazhakoottam, finds that terrain of Trivandum affects sales of the bikes. “There is tax rebate for electric vehicles in Kerala. While the tax for other vehicles is 12.5 per cent, the tax when you buy an electric scooter is only four per cent. But the main problem why electric scooters don’t sell as much in Trivandrum is more because of the geography of this place. These scooters are not powerful enough to climb slopes and there’s hardly any place in Trivandrum you would find without dips and slopes. Used on such a terrain the battery life of the vehicle gets affected. You wouldn’t get the mileage that the company promises. And that is the reason why our customers report different mileage,” he says.

“I brought my electric scooter for Rs. 32,000. I’m happy with my purchase but I wish the price has been a little lower,” says Cris Seetha, our reporter, who zips around Trivandrum on her eco-friendly scooter.

Another reason for the failure of the electric two-wheeler in India is the issue concerning quality and maintenance. For example, if you look for a review of an electric bike on the website, you would find many people complaining about performance, maintenance and most importantly, its batteries.

“Another reason people are reluctant to buy electric scooters is the maintenance issues. But, that is a myth. Actually, any electric vehicle is low-cost on maintenance. With our scooters, our customers may have to change one cell or the other in the battery after about two years and that would cost them only roughly Rs. 2,000. Another issue is that there are not many local mechanics who know to repair an electric vehicle. Correcting a mistake in these vehicles would need both mechanical and electrical knowledge on the mechanics’ side and not many of them are trained on the electrical side,” says Praveen.