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Electric scooters in India – upcoming launches and existing scooters

Saturday, August 16, 2008, 13:17

Electric scooters were only rumoured about in India when I gave up riding two-wheelers in India. They were just a nice dream then. Plug in, charge up and ride away. Easy as that.

One of the first things I look for when I hear about any new electric vehicle – in India or abroad, two wheelers or four wheelers – is the range offered per charge. It has always disappointed. Even abroad, pure electric vehicles that can give you a substantial range on electric charge and battery packs are few.

However, seems there really IS a market for electric scooters in India. There are launches happening everywhere, press conferences to announce upcoming electric scooters with slightly better range than before and generally a lot of interest in the buying public too.

Today, I heard about the latest electric scooter which was announced – the EKO EV-60 electric scooter. For me, that was that much-heard of straw that broke the camel’s back. And here I am, trying to write about a topic which I had stayed away from for a very long time.

Without much ado, we get into the serious business of electric scooters below:

Scooter manufacturers are now furiously launching electric scooters to provide cost-effective alternatives to customers that are bearing the brunt of rising fuel prices. Most of them claim that the cost of running two-wheelers are less than Rs 1 per km. Two-wheeler players like EKO Vehicle, TVS, Indus Elec-Trans, Global Automobiles, Vijaya Value Electric, and Ultra Motors have launched eco-friendly electric scooters even as they plan to up manufacturing capabilities.

TVS Scooty Teenz Electric

TVS has launched its first electric scooter, the TVS Scooty Teenz electric scooter, that generates an average range of 40 km, for nine hours of charge. This can increase by fifty percent if the rider opts for lower speeds by using a unique feature of this electric bike, the range selector. The range selector allows the rider to select a preferred range, either high or low. The TVS Scooty Teenz also throws in a low charge indicator, storage space, and a mobile charger. The TVS Scooty Teenz has a 800W permanent magnet BLDC motor, a VRLA battery, and a CI and CV charger.

The TVS Scooty Teenz electric scooter is priced at Rs 37,425. The TVS Scooty Teenz is targeted at young women who need to travel approximately 15-25 kms per day.

TVS Scooty Teenz electric scooter website

Ultra Motor Marathon, Velociti and Optima electric scooters

In the high-end segment, Ultra Motors launched the Marathon electric scooter, on July 29 2008, priced at Rs 31,047 (US$ 730.688) ex-showroom. Ultra Motors claims that Marathon can travel 100 Kms on a single charge. The Marathon has an SLA Battery and a 48V / 24 AH battery capacity. That 100 km range makes it a very practical option indeed.

The highest range for an electric scooter in India – the Ultra Motors Marathon?

Ultra Motors Marathon electric scooter

Ultra Motors Marathon electric scooter

Ultra Motors says that its Velociti and Optima electric two-wheelers that it launched in April 2008, have already sold around 300 units so far in India, and is an indicator of the demand for electric scooters. Velociti has a 50 km charge range with a top speed of 40 km/hr. For most small towns in India, that is an adequate speed.

Ultra Motors says that the Velociti’s running costs are 10 paise per km, that is almost 1/10th of petrol two wheelers.

The Velociti electric two-wheeler has an 48V / 24 AH SLA Battery, BDLC motor, charge indicator, hydraulic disc brakes, and front and rear reflectors. The Optima offers a range of 70 km per charge and a maximum speed of 25km per hour. Both, Marathon and Velociti use impulse inertia technology that gives it higher speed of 40 km/h. The Velociti and Optima electric two-wheelers are priced at Rs 34,000 and Rs 29,000, respectively.

Ultra Motors electric scooters website

EKO Vehicle EV60 electric scooter and Cosmic

EKO vehicles plans to launch its EV60 electric scooter in September 2008 in India.  The EKO EV60 electric scooter will be priced at Rs 39,600, and is the second electric scooter, after Cosmic, from the EKO stable. EKO vehicles says that EKO electric scooters will have a 10-15 minute rapid charging system, set up at select parking lots in cities and towns in India, that will replenish 85-90 percent of the battery capacity of a 20 AH power pack.

Quickest charging for electric scooters in India – 15 minues!

The EKO Cosmic electric scooter provides a speed of 40 km/hr and a 40 – 50 km/charge range. The battery recharge time for the EKO Cosmic is 4 – 6 hours. The company claims that EKO vehicles cost Rs 0.08 per Km as opposed to petrol scooters that cost Rs 1/km.

EKovehicle EV60 electric scooter

YoSmart electric scooter

YoSmart electric scooter

YoSpeed electric scooter from Indus

Indus Elec-Trans’ launched its YOSpeed electric scooter in March 2008. The YOSpeed has a BLDC hub 750W motor, maximum speed of 45km/hr, and a charging time of 6 to 8 hours. The Indus YOSpeed has, 33AH batteries, powerful headlamp, tail lamp, blinkers and a sari guard for the pillion rider.

The YOSpeed provides a range of 75 – 80 km for 70kg and 55 – 60 km for 135 kg. The company claims that the YOSpeed runs 500 kms for Rs 50 and the battery will run for 20,000 kms. Indus Elec-Trans’ YOSpeed is priced at Rs 36,650.

YoSpeed electric scooter website

Luminous upcoming electric scooter

Power Technologies plans to launch four electric scooter models; two in September 2008 and two by 2010. The four Luminous models will be priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 45,000.

You can read the latest story on the Luminous Lectrix scooter here

Vijaya Glide 25 and Glide 25 Super electric scooters

Glide 25 super electric scooter

Glide 25 Super electric scooter

Vijaya Value Electric range of battery powered scooters include Glide 25 and Glide 25 Super. Glide 25 has a top speed of 25kms/hr and can cover 40-50 kms per charge with a charging duration of 5-6 hours. Glide 25 has 48 V Sealed maintenance free battery, and power consumption of 1 KWH for full charge.

The Glide 25 Super is an upgraded version of Glide 25 that has the same top speed and charging time as the Glide 25. Though, the Glide 25 Super can cover 70-75 kms per charge and a higher load capacity of 90 Kgs.

The Vijaya Glide electric scooter website

Well, that’s about it for now. If you plan to buy an electric scooter, do tell us what you have in mind, and why you want to go for that particular model.

I would also encourage you to leave comments, and questions if any. If we are not accurate in any of the details of the elctric scooters, do correct us.

Your comments are moderated – that is just to check for spam. They will be appear on the site within a few hours. Do come back to see the responses.

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44 Responses to “Electric scooters in India – upcoming launches and existing scooters”

  1. Dominic said on Saturday, August 30, 2008, 5:19

    Can you tell me if these bikes need riders below 18 to have license to ride them and what about the insurance? are these bikes insured like the other normal bikes

    Thank you
    Dominic

  2. Arvind said on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, 15:39

    I have been doing quite a bit research on e-bikes . I have also driven Ultra marathon , Glider and one more – name not known- china make . After having driven bikes for almost 25 years , right from TVS champ to Bullet , am sure that e-bikes will become the order of the road traffic in Chennai , 3 years from now .

    But I understand that there is no comprehensive updated website which details all the bikes available in India . For example , yo bike website does not state where it is sold in Chennai , but many have bought it . Similarly , hero e-bikes sales outlet in Chennai is listed anywhere . likewise , ultra marathon does more than 300 cycle of charge . It is said to be almost 600 cycles of charge . In that case , the battery can live upto 2 years , which brings the battery cost down to 3500/- per year . If that is the case , it is almost equivalent to the maintenance cost of the petrol bikes . Hence , the cost of petrol-electricity ratio is only the deciding factor . When the charge for 6 hours makes 1 unit – Rs.3 /- . In that case it means that for rs.5/- , the vehicle runs for 100 kms ! Or the cost is rs. 0.05 per km run . Now then , that is almost nothing compared to the petrol & oil charges one pays per year for petro-scooter .

    If one assumes only electric vehicles run in city , health hazards due to noise and air pollution and subsequent visit to doctor is minimised .

  3. Prosenjit said on Thursday, September 18, 2008, 4:36

    I wanna buy an electric scooty which can carry easily a weight of 150 kg with an average speed of 40-45 km. do any body have any good suggestion regarding this.

  4. Fabien Lee said on Friday, September 19, 2008, 12:09

    We are a professional manufacturer in high power electric scooter motors , from 250W to 3500W , high speed , large torque , low noise . If you are interested in , please contact with me .

  5. Vijaya Kumar.S.N said on Saturday, September 27, 2008, 3:49

    I want to buy an electric scooty with 2 seating capacity and which can carry easily a weight of 150 kg with an average speed of 40-45 km. do any body have any good suggestion regarding this.

  6. E.V.KRISHNA MURTHY said on Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 18:07

    i am interested to become electric scooter dealer

  7. Pawan Gupta said on Thursday, October 9, 2008, 15:42

    I want a Electric scooter which provides a top speed of 40-50 having seating capacity of 2 persons(140-150KG). Please suggest me the good scooter fulfilling my above mentioned needs.

  8. Luminous Lectrix electric scooter launch and price, electric scooters in India | DWS Auto India said on Friday, October 10, 2008, 7:53

    [...] Related story on electric scooters in India [...]

  9. Narendra Gautam said on Thursday, October 16, 2008, 9:02

    Hello
    Good wishes for the compilation of all such information.

    I am planning to purchase a electric scooter for my daughter for their schooling. But there is one main problem with the e-scooter of battery which need to be replaced after 1.5 year or two years which will cost roughly Rs.5000 or more I don’t know but it is and right now all the manufacturers are using only Lead Acid batteries
    Is there any plan for switching to another battery technology like NIMH (ofcourse cosly one) but hope reliable for long time
    Pls suggest

    Thanks in advance

    Narendra Gautam
    Dehradun

  10. Essconm said on Friday, October 17, 2008, 6:46

    We are a professional manufacturer in e-bike and hub motor in China , we are looking for a good agent in India for our hub motors , we offer our best price and good quality to our clients , if you are interested in , please contact with me !

    Hope I can find a good agent here ! essconm.motorcycle.lee@gmail.com

  11. Prakhar said on Saturday, October 18, 2008, 2:17

    I want to buy a scooter. Tell me how much is electrical beneficial compared to a petrol driven scooter on an overall basis comparing on parameters like mileage, looks, payload, power, maintenace, rider security, customer service and above all the price. I want to spend least. Can someone help me in deciding which one I should go for electric or petrol stating the model with reasons? Thanks

  12. Naveen said on Friday, October 24, 2008, 11:55

    it seems to me that the electric scoter is very use ful in less polution, sound polution and very useful for ladies, children, old person as its light weight but its cost is high as per petrol scoter and we have to change the battery after 1.5 or 2years. Battery cost is lum sum Rs. 3500/- to 5000/-. i would like to suggest to the manufacture to try cut of cost of scoter.

  13. 150 cc scooters, price | DWS Auto India said on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 12:58

    [...] might also like to take a look at electric scooters in India, as well as our 100 cc scooters [...]

  14. BSA electric motorcycles, alternative fuel vehicles | DWS Auto India said on Thursday, October 30, 2008, 19:14

    [...] Click here for a story on electric scooters in India [...]

  15. Ganesh R.Sangewar said on Friday, November 7, 2008, 11:14

    I want to buy an electric scooty with 2 seating capacity and which can carry easily a weight of 150 kg with an average speed of 40-45 km. do any body have any good suggestion regarding this.

  16. BSA Smile, Diva, Roamer and Street Rider electric scooters, price and dealers | DWS Auto India said on Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 13:36

    [...] More on electric scooters in India [...]

  17. Lohia Group Oma, Fame electric scooters photo, price | DWS Auto India said on Saturday, November 15, 2008, 6:34

    [...] Lohia Group President V.K. Gupta said that the e-bikes, Oma and Fame, were manufactured in technical collaboration with Germany. The Oma and Fame come with a 250 Watt motor rechargeable battery that can also be charged using an inverter or generator. More electric scooters in India [...]

  18. shabab kamliwale said on Monday, November 17, 2008, 19:18

    send all kind of electric scooter,bikes .indian made

  19. Jayaprakash said on Saturday, November 29, 2008, 16:06

    I want to buy an electric scooty with 2 seating capacity and which can carry easily a weight of 150 kg with an average speed of 40-45 km. do any body have any good suggestion regarding this.

  20. SETHURAMAN,R S said on Sunday, December 7, 2008, 9:31

    I MAY PLEASE BE INFORMED THE SERVICE CENTER SITUATED IN MADURAI OF TAMILNADU STATE. FURTHER WHETHER SPARE PARTS ARE AVAILABLE. WHAT ABOUT MAINTENANCE CHARGE PER MONTH? MY SON ADAMANTLY TO PURCHASE SUCH KIND OF VIJAYA RECHARGEABLE ELECTRIC MOTOR VEHICLE. KINDLY SEND ME DETAILS IN ONE OR TWO DAYS

  21. sunilseth said on Wednesday, December 10, 2008, 11:25

    I want to purchese a elctric scooter, Please give me a list of branded company,features and price in india

  22. mohammed aftab said on Friday, December 12, 2008, 5:39

    can u tell me wats d life span of d battery nd after how many year do we need to replace d battery..

    wats d cost of newbattery

  23. seena murali said on Friday, December 12, 2008, 10:37

    please send me more details of electric scooter like which brand is suitable and it s price range

  24. mohammed aftab said on Saturday, December 13, 2008, 7:28

    still i havent got d replay fr ur side,pls kindly replay as soon as possible
    and can u send me d branches in bangalore,where we can get more details…..

    thanx

  25. Dr Mohammed Ali said on Thursday, December 25, 2008, 9:13

    sir.this is to say that I have an electric bike YO bike till now I have changed once its battery which has costed me Rs 4000/- I used to travel 40 to 50 kms a day overall my travel distance per month is less than 1300 kms only if i have purchased even an old bike which has costed me only 25 to 28 thousand only and there is a resale value but for this bike there is no resale value and its cost for battery is too much, if government gives a subsidy for the battery is it well and good and public may opt for this electr[c bikes/scooters

  26. Krishan Khichar said on Thursday, December 25, 2008, 17:18

    tvs scooty teenz is worst.i own 2 months old ev and it’s no giving milage upto 25..dealar is saying i have no responsiblity for this..

  27. rittu said on Friday, December 26, 2008, 17:04

    i want to know about the dealers in kerala

  28. amir ali khan said on Friday, January 2, 2009, 10:25

    This is in reply to Mr. Arvins. Supposing that I travel 20 km each day, and my vehicle gives 40 km per liter (auto gear scooter), then i will be using a liter of petrol for 2 days, assuming that there are 30 days on average in a month, that works out to be 15 x 2 = 30 liters a month, which works out to be 30 x 12 3600 liters per year. Add the weekend trips and errand trips an extra 400 km, so totalling 3600 + 400 = 4000 km, so petrol cost for this, one liter for 40 km, so for 4000 km, 100 liters of petrol consumed in a year, cost of petrol works out to be 100 x 52 = 5200 per year. add 1000 rupees of maintenance costs, so it works out to be 6000 per year. and in two years 12000. If we take a EV, then batter replacement charge after one year or after 25k km is 3500, –so defintely it is cost saving, as far as auto gear scooters are concerned. But if the bikes are giving nearly or more than 60 km per liter of mileage, wait till cost of petrol increases to more than 100 rupees

  29. amir ali khan said on Friday, January 2, 2009, 10:32

    that works out to be 15 x 2 = 30 liters a month, which works out to be 30 x 12 3600 liters per year. Add In this sentence, change the LITERS to KILOMETERS, read it as kilometrs

  30. Anto Alex said on Sunday, January 4, 2009, 8:53

    Hai i am very much intrested in taking a dealership of an electric vehicle in Tamilnadu. Somebody pls suggest
    me from which manufacturer i can take dealership .Pls reply me in my email anto0783@gmail.com .

  31. santosh kumar dubey said on Sunday, January 4, 2009, 14:52

    i want to purchese a elctric scooter, Please give me a list of branded company,features and price in india. and charging time.

  32. sanjay said on Wednesday, January 7, 2009, 9:04

    Hi, Suggest you to buy hero electric optima plus

  33. latha sriram said on Sunday, January 11, 2009, 4:02

    Hi, can anyone please post a message giving the comparative price, mileage etc in a tabular format which would help me to compare the best electric scooter.

  34. Deepak Yadav said on Thursday, January 22, 2009, 5:37

    I own a prime location in delhi which can be a very good showroom place for electric scooters. There is not even a single outlet in around the radius of 10 kms from my location. The Middle class population in the radius of 10 kms from the location is more than 3 lacs with 3 colleges in the radius of just 1 km. If any good manufacturer is looking for a suitable location managed by professionals can get in touch with me over my mail. My personal profile is B.Tech + MBA in sales & marketing with 5 years of working experience…….

  35. Deepak Yadav said on Thursday, January 22, 2009, 5:38

    My mail id is somehow not displayed. Company Professionals can contact me on yadav_dk@yahoo.com….

  36. rajesh jain said on Sunday, March 15, 2009, 10:27

    the price of electric scooter is still high. it seems the main motive of companies is profit making .if they are really concerned about .enviornment the price should be slashed so that it is in the reach of common mani

  37. M.PRAKASH said on Monday, March 30, 2009, 11:46

    I WISH TO TAKE A DEALERSHIP OF E-BIKE.I AM IN ERODE IN TAMILNADU.IF ANY COMPANY WANT GOOD DEALER. PLEASE CONTACT ME.YOU SHOULD ALSO MENTION YOUR EXPECTATION FROM ME.

  38. Kotesh said on Monday, March 30, 2009, 12:37

    I am very much interested in taking the dealership in Andhra Pradesh. I want to take the dealership whoever gives the best quality and better services. And rest all I can do good business.

  39. Kotesh said on Monday, March 30, 2009, 12:38

    my mail id is mvkotesh@gmail.com

  40. Rajesh Yadav said on Saturday, April 11, 2009, 12:17

    Hi Deepak,
    I saw your post in DWS and also your profile. Before offering or discussing anything about dealership or distributorship of electric bikes I would like to know where is the place you would like to take the same. Because, it would also help me to know whether there is already a distributor of my e-bikes. I ascertain you that at present in todays secnerio we offer the best e-bikes with cheapest price and maximum profit. When the place/location of dealership is decided we can meet and discuss other issues relating to it, thanks. Mail me at ry_nascent@in.com
    Rajesh Yadav

  41. santhosh said on Monday, April 20, 2009, 14:32

    i am using electric bike from 24 feb 2007. It is a china made. it cost Rs.38,000. Its capacity is 800w and top speed is 55kmph. Dealer said, 8 hours of charging gives 50km backup and battery need to be replaced after 15000km and that cost Rs.6000.The shock observer is poor from the manufacturing itself. Now i have used 4800km but the battery backup only 5km. That indicates the battery need to be replaced and presently it costs Rs. 9000. When i asked the dealer he said that is not his overhead since the guarantee period is only one year. I have spent nearly Rs. 2500 for repairing some parts. I have asked many china made e-bike users and everyone rated that poor. There is no resale value for these kind of bikes. In my opinion china made e-bikes are damn waste and do not fit for Madurai roads. Here i want to make clear that i am not speaking about branded e-bikes available in the market. If you are to buy e-bike, enquire about the model well before buying to avoid any bitter experience.

  42. santhosh said on Monday, April 20, 2009, 14:33

    forward your queries to theinvincibleindian@gmail.com

  43. vicky said on Thursday, April 23, 2009, 4:52

    I want to tell that e-bikes are waste of money as their battery costs are very high and they have to be replaced every two years.The cost of replacement of battery is Rs. 8000. I had purchaed an e-bike and now it had started giving problems. The body is made of pure plastic which gets damaged easily in an accident. The shock absorbers are pathethic. The maximum speed is 30 kms. It is better to go for a petrol-driven vehicle as they have got resale value. In e-bikes the maximum distance you can travel is 20 to 30 kilometer per charge. That means your travel isrestricted. Also the carrying capacity is limited to 70 to 90 kgs. There are lot of restrictions associated with e-bikes. My advice to everyone would be not to buy electic bike.

  44. raghav said on Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 5:23

    i want to purchase an electric bike having seating capacity of 2 and can hande around 150 kgs and speed should be around 40-45km/hr

    can anybody suggest a good bike for me

    waiting for the reply

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