A recent report revealed that only 1 percent of household consumers plan to buy an e-scooter in the next six months amid safety and performance concerns
Hero Electric once again led the Indian electric vehicle (EV) two-wheeler segment in August, selling a record and highest-ever 10,476 vehicles in one month, followed by Okinawa Autotech at 8,554 vehicles, the latest government VAHAN data has revealed. Hero Electric had sold 8,954 EV two-wheelers in July while Okinawa Autotech had sold 8,096 two-wheelers.
Bhavish Aggarwal-run Ola Electric sold 3,421 EV two-wheelers in August, a drop from 3,862 units the company sold in July, indicating that it still needs to bring its strategy back on track.
Ather Energy saw a massive jump in selling 5,239 vehicles, from a mere 1,289 in July. Ampere Vehicles Pvt Ltd, which sold 6,319 vehicles last month, saw a marginal hike at 6,396 sold units.
In a bid to boost two-wheeler EV adoption and battery swapping infrastructure, Hero Electric is set to partner with Jio-bp to strengthen mobility solutions for electric two-wheelers. The customers of Hero Electric are expected to get access to the widespread charging and swapping network of Jio-bp, which is also open to other vehicles.
A recent report revealed that only 1 percent of household consumers plan to buy an e-scooter in the next six months amid safety and performance concerns, as the government probes multiple fires in electric two-wheelers.
Around 32 percent of respondents are not convinced about the safety and performance of electric scooters in August while in March this year, the number stood at 17 percent – as more than two dozen electric two-wheelers caught fire in March and April, according to community social media platform LocalCircles.
After more than two dozen electric two-wheelers caught fire in March and April, around 7,000 units were “voluntarily” recalled by electric scooter makers such as Ola, Pure EV, and Okinawa.
The government set up a committee of experts from the Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) and the Indian Institute of Science to carry out a detailed investigation and frame ‘quality-centric’ guidelines for EV manufacturers, which are expected to be released soon.
The fallout of EV fires is that just 1 percent of over 11,000 respondents said they plan to buy an e-scooter in the next 6 months.
Nearly 5 percent said they are keen to buy but “were not convinced about the infrastructure available for e-scooters where I live/work” and 7 percent said they do not have funds for buying e-scooters. While there are people keen to buy e-scooters, concerns over safety and performance are rising. “It is critical for the government and industry to win consumer confidence,” the report mentioned.
