Electric VS Petrol Scooter- What To Buy?
Electric scooters have been a huge success as they are getting all the attention from buyers. With newer players claiming record bookings like Ola S1 or even other players like Ather doing well, can it be said that it is the end of the petrol scooter? Not quite.
Petrol scooters like the ever-popular Honda Active continue to remain hugely popular and are still by far the best selling scooter. Yes, they may not have the noise surrounding an Ola but that does not mean it’s not selling. The top-selling petrol scooters currently are dominated by the Honda Activa, TVS Jupiter and the TVS Ntorq 125. Electric scooters still have some time to match the reliability or even the range and reach. Let us look at some points.
Cost
Typically electric scooters are more expensive outright than petrol scooters but the cost has gone down due to subsidies. That said petrol scooters are cheaper for now. Even the electric scooter is easier to maintain with very fewer maintenance costs since electric scooters have fewer parts. However, the longevity needs to also be looked at since a petrol scooter can go on for many years while an electric scooter might have its battery life limited to approximately 4 years?
Performance
That’s where electric scooters win as they are much faster and smoother with seamless acceleration. Hence for city use when squeezing under gaps for instant acceleration, an electric scooter is easier to operate. Electric scooters have a lot more torque which further adds to the performance. It is not that petrol scooters are slow but electric ones just have more instant pull.
Range And Useability
This is where petrol scooters win. Electric scooters might promise lots of range but the real world cannot match the convenience of a petrol scooter. Of course for a city commute, the new line-up of electric scooters do make sense with just about good real-world range but their range currently is not good enough to beat a petrol scooter in terms of a simple- ‘fill it, shut it and forget it’. With a petrol scooter, you can take it anywhere with no range anxiety.
There is also a lack of charging infrastructure. Sparing few cities, charging infrastructure cannot match the sheer ease of use that a petrol scooter gives you- no matter how expensive petrol is. Also for buyers, installing charging stations or access to charging remains a big issue. A petrol scooter is more reliable and works everywhere-that counts.
What To Buy?
If you live in the bigger cities and have access to charging at your home/office and will use a scooter for short distances, then an electric scooter makes sense. The range is decent, it is smooth, fast and easy to use. Plus of course, they are cheaper to run with petrol prices being so high.
That said, petrol scooters are more tough, reliable, easier to maintain for years along with the freedom to take anywhere plus the convenience of just filling petrol and going. Charging infrastructure is a hassle along with the higher cost of buying an electric scooter. In many ways, a petrol scooter still makes more sense overall and no surprise that they sell in so huge numbers.
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