Petrol bike holiday? For the first time, electric two-wheeler sales touched the magical figure of 10%, buyers changed their decision Is it the end of the road for petrol bikes? Electric two-wheeler sales hit the magic 10% mark for the first time; buyers have changed their minds! – ..

A huge historical change is being witnessed in the Indian automobile market. Petrol motorcycles and scooters, which have been ruling the roads for years, are now facing tough competition from eco-friendly electric vehicles. For the first time in the history of the country’s two-wheeler segment, a new record has been set, where the share of electric two-wheelers (EV) in total two-wheeler sales has crossed the historical figure of 10%. Auto experts believe that this change is not limited only to metros, but even in small towns and rural areas of the country, people are now increasingly shifting towards e-scooters, fed up with the rising prices of petrol.

Why is the craze for petrol bikes decreasing? Big reason for changing customer preferences

For the Indian middle class, the expenditure on petrol every month is spoiling the budget, which is the main reason for this big change. Along with this, now companies like Ola Electric, Ather Energy, TVS iQube and Bajaj Chetak have introduced very strong and long range electric scooters in the market. Customers have now started to understand that even though an electric vehicle may seem a bit expensive at the time of purchase, in the long run its running cost (cost per kilometer) is negligible compared to a petrol bike. This is the reason why the demand for traditional 100cc and 125cc petrol commuter bikes is now showing a decline.

Improvement in infrastructure and increasing trust at local level

The fear that people had in the initial days regarding the charging and battery life of electric vehicles is now gradually ending. The network of charging stations is expanding rapidly in every corner of major states of the country like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi-NCR. Availability of local dealers and service centers has also won the trust of customers locally. Apart from this, many state governments are giving exemption in road tax and local subsidies, which is giving a huge boost to the sales of electric two-wheelers in the local auto markets.

Will petrol vehicles be completely stopped in the coming days?

This 10 percent figure is being considered as a turning point for the auto sector. According to experts, the speed with which battery technology is advancing and its prices are decreasing, makes it clear that this share can reach 20 to 25 percent in the coming two to three years. Recent figures from automotive companies (SIAM) also indicate that the times to come will be entirely of clean energy. Now even big companies manufacturing petrol two-wheelers will have to change their strategy to survive in the market and focus entirely on the electric segment.