6 points to keep in mind before buying EV
Believe me choosing an electric vehicle would be one of the best decisions of your life. Although their many ev startups has contributed and many are going to invest in this market in future, in short, the ev market is gonna become more and more competitive in future. However, everyday a new startup is coming into the market with their product and services and there is much confusion in the market as there is no reference to judge any electric bike or their services. But relax we are here to solve all your trouble and confusion.
Buying a wrong variant of electric vehicle could lead you to a major loss as, the initial cost of electric bike is quite expensive then the ordinary ICE and petrol vehicles. Although there are no specific electric vehicle manufacturer from which we can refer and compare the electric vehicle but, there are few common factors or parameters which can help, we will sort all the EVs by their components used and specifications like the top speed, range, battery variant, and motor type, and we will finely conclude the type of ev required according to your requirement.
So, further in the following post we will be talking about these points:
- Motor type
- Type of Battery
- Safety features
- Build quality and seating comfort
- Warranty and guaranty
- Company and startup
Motor type:
In general, there are two types technologies used to drive the wheel from the motor, one is chain/belt driven and another is hub mounted motor, both have few advantages and disadvantages. But both are good at their own usage, the hub mounted motor is used if one can compromise with the top speed and acceleration, and gradeability, but the range of the vehicle is the priority of the user intent. The chain/belt driven motor is used if you need more torque, more top speed, acceleration and high gradeability but at the cost of a little deduction in the overall range and efficiency of your electric vehicle.
So, if you are required to have a performance ev with more top speed, and acceleration you should go with chain driven electric two wheeler, but if you are just a regular user and need an electric two wheeler with comparably less top-speed and torque, then hub mounted motor driven electric two wheeler will be more favorable for you.
So, if you are willing to buy a good electric bike here are my recommendations:
# With hub motor:
- Hero electric scooters price: 60-100K
- Odysse electric scooter price: 64-104K
# With mid drive motor:
- Bajaj chetak electric
price: 110K - TVS iQube electric
price: 115K
Type of battery:
However, there are dozens of Battery chemistries available to power an electric two-wheeler, but in India lead acid (LA) and lithium ion (LI) are the most commonly used battery technology to power an electric vehicle. Honestly telling EVs powered by LI batteries are way better then LA batteries in all the aspects. The only reason why LA batteries are still in action is, their buying cost, which is significantly lower than the price of a LI battery. However, the price difference between an electric bike with LA and LI battery is 20-25K. So, if your budget is flexible enough to pay upto 25,000 more for LI battery then I will highly recommend you to, go with li-ion version instead of Lead acid version.
If you are willing to buy good electric bikes with best battery technologies, hear are my recommendations.
# Li-ion version
- Odysse Hawk plus
price: 104K - Hero Optima ER
price: 74K
# Lead acid:
- Odysse Hawk electric
price: 76,500 - Bajaj Chetak electric
Price: 1.15lakh
Safety features:
Having advanced features in your electric bike is equally important as the specifications. Having extra features is one of the reasons which differ an electric vehicle from traditional ICE vehicle. In upcoming electric scooters and motorcycles, we can see, Bluetooth connectivity, Internet connectivity, GPS, Music system, and even calling feature, but keeping aside all the comfort the most important feature is the safety feature. One must compare the safety measures offered by the company in the particular vehicle, there are various electric bikes already launched having mind blowing safety features like anti-theft alarm, anti-theft wheel lock and of Couse the GPS can help to locket the vehicle.
# Click hear to know what are the best scooter with superiors build quality and high end safety features.
Build quality and seating comfort:
Before buying any electric bike, one must ensure the build quality and seat comfort. Being an experienced user of latest electric bike, Revolt RV-400 I highly recommend drawing your attention toward the build quality and seat comfort of an electric bike before buying one (read revolt rv400 user review). There are electric bikes coming with good seat comfort and metal build quality. So, before buying any electric bike take care of build quality.
# Here is the electric bike with superiors build quality and seating comfort.
- Prana electric bike
Price: 2.25lakhs
Warranty and guaranty:
Comparing the warranty and the guaranty provided by the companies is also very important aspect to check before buying any electric vehicle. In general it is compulsory for an ev company to give the guaranty of 3 years on all the electric parts of the electric vehicle but there are companies which are offering even more then that. But, without reviewing the service provided by the company all the promises are waste, because I have seen in some cases the costumer struggling even for the basic services and receiving disregards from few EV startups.
Start-up and company
The EV industry is struggling right now in India because of low investments and less interest shown by automobile giants. And as a result, new startups are emerging to provide electric vehicle experience in India, but many startups won’t get much funding to manage all the services properly. So, I will recommend you check the performance, and business background of the startup before buying any electric vehicle from them.
So, you have just gone through all the parameters to select the best electric two wheeler of whatever is your needs and priority you can even say it as an ultimate guide to buy an electric bike but, these all points are for electric bikes we will be posting soon for electric cars also.
Share this post with your friends who are willing to buy any electric bike and stay tuned for such posts.