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Top 10 Problems with Electric Vehicles in India – 2024

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The EV sales are growing with an average CAGR of 60-70%, which is a great number, and all of this started in the pre-COVID period. Electric vehicles entered the mainstream EV market in 2019 (before COVID). Revolt Motors debuted with the RV 400 model, which caught the attention of mainstream media, and the electric vehicle market blew up after that. The FAME subsidies acted as a great catalyst for the EV growth in India because many new companies and startups entered the EV market after that some popular names are Ola, Ather, Pure EV, Hero Electric, Okinawa, etc.

The rising EV sales graph shows that people are highly interested in buying electric vehicles. But at the same time, a group of people also regrets their decision to buy E-vehicle. Such people are disappointed and angry about the damage that E-vehicles caused them financially and mentally. Which also impacts the EV sales happening in India.

Although EVs are growing substantially, a huge part of India still has a stigma around electric vehicles, and due to various problems, people are hesitant to buy electric vehicles. Let’s discuss the whole scenario point by point and see the disadvantages of electric vehicles in India.

Disadvantages of electric vehicles in India:

1. EVs are not budget-friendly:




Electric vehicles are getting more and more affordable with every passing year due to reducing battery costs and government incentives but still, they aren’t at the level of IC engine vehicles.

Today an electric vehicle, (2W or 4W) costs almost double as compared to a traditional ICE vehicle, and on top of that EVs don’t even have their resale value after 4-5 years so for now buying an EV doesn’t have many financial incentives which can lure the mass audience. Another financial disadvantage of electric vehicles is insurance. Electric vehicle insurance is generally much higher than ICE vehicles and that’s because of battery issues.

So, lack of financial compatibility is one of the more pressing problems with electric vehicles.

High battery replacement cost animated image

Battery Cost:
It’s no more hidden from anyone that the Li-ion battery in electric vehicles is built to last till 6-7 years or hardly 8 years and after the battery decay period of an electric vehicle battery its user remains with no other choice than to buy a newer battery which costs nearly 3/4 th of the whole vehicle cost.
Battery cost is going to be a pressing issue for the EV buyers because electric vehicles are new to both market and customers the battery issue requires at least 5 years to surface this will going to be impacted in a long run.

Also read: EV battery startups in India

2. Beta version of vehicles:

Right now, both the technology and companies are new to the market and the products they are manufacturing are possibly facing real costumers for the first time. And it’s nearly impossible to make such a complex product like an automobile perfect for the customers in the first go, and as expected the buyers faced many issues. Vehicles like RV400, EPluto 7G, Nexon all them has to update their vehicle up to a very high extent after customer feedback and reviews.

Companies making beta version

Recently Pure EV has made a lot of changes in their policies, software, hardware, and not even Tata motors has to upgrade their BMS and regen software after a lot of complaints from the customers regarding extremely low range. So, buying the vehicle from the first batch of the company’s production would be a bad idea and can even give you an extremely bad experience.

Changes in pure EV scooters:

Also read: Ola recalled their 1441 e-scooter units

3. Poor Infrastructure and range anxiety:

Poor infrastructure is among the most pressing issue among people thinking to opt for electric vehicles. Poor infra doesn’t only include a lack of charging stations but also the lack of proper charging set up in their home. Charging a heavier electric car could be a major problem for any electric car owner if he/she lacks proper setup (Powerful MCB, wire, and earthing) near their place.

Range anxiety animated image

Range anxiety: This problem of mental pressure comes due to lack of charging infrastructure which is improving day by day but still required to improve a lot in this area.

Many companies are offering mad range for their EVs in ideal conditions like 200, 180, 150 but in real conditions, 150 km is like a dream and if you are from the category of an average Indian male with some luggage and riding in a city like a condition then you should be satisfied with a 100 km driving range. In electric cars, the loading capacity may not have much impact, but for small vehicles like electric scooters or electric bikes, even a small difference in driving conditions can impact your EV range a lot.

4. No Universal charger and Ecosystem (Lack of standardization):

Every second electric vehicle-making company has its own different charging port which is becoming a hurdle to setting up a proper charging ecosystem.

Also, many EV users complained about facing moral trouble for charging their vehicle in different EV-making company’s charging stations which can impact the growth of the EV industry.

Lack of standardization is a curse to the Indian electric vehicle industry; it’s damaging the present and future of the EV market. Every second electric scooter has its own different charging port, which affects the charging station infrastructure because no specific charging station can be built that can charge all types of electric vehicles. Also, the lack of standardization reduces the EV adoption rate in society-based communities.
Just like electric cars get a specific charging port (CCS-2), electric two and three-wheelers should maintain a similar standard to achieve the mass adoption of electric vehicles.

5. Temperature Issues:

Temperature can affect the performance of an EV battery at a large extent which makes EV’s inappropriate for too cold (Uttarakhand, Meghalaya) or too hot regions like (Rajasthan, Kerala). The battery can give its ideal performance when it’s in use under the temperature range of 15-40 degrees.

Also read: How EV battery explodes

6. Very few academic and local skill awareness:

EV push is necessary along with the academic awareness and importance to the students of coming generations. Because the EV spare part and servicing industry is another essential part of the growth of EV’s. When one is stuck with their broke ICE vehicle, he/she can easily find a help or costumer support near them but when it’s about electric vehicles it’s surely a tedious task to find someone who can fix their issue or help them.

7. Less performance for ideal economy:

IC engine-driven vehicles are still way ahead of electric vehicles when it comes to performance. In order to make sure that an EV is giving the promised range it becomes highly important to drive the vehicle at lower performance and be aware of maximum usage of ‘regen‘.

Also read: Top 7 electric scooters under 80,000 in India 

8. Will increase the electricity demand at a national level:

It’s just a matter of assuming the increment in electricity demand when everyone in the city is using solely electricity to charge their vehicle. It’ll be a horrific increment in the demand for electricity and as of now, we are majorly dependent on burning fossils for generating electricity.
Until we use renewable sources of energy for generating electricity the EV revolution will be of no use.

9. Battery Degradation and Sensitivity

Batteries in electric vehicles have a limited life due to which they last 5-6 years only and after that the batteries get various issues which make them in-compatible to be used in electric vehicles. But the good news is, one can resale those batteries due to the concept of second life in EV batteries after 6 years the EV batteries can be reused in other applications like solar energy storage, home inverters, etc.

Apart from degradation, another issue with electric vehicle batteries is their sensitivity. Various factors can cause damage to the EV battery some of them are, over-charging, external heat, puncher/physical damage, and uneven acceleration.

Batteries being the very heart of electric vehicles should not have so many pain points and problems because even a small issue in it can damage the whole vehicle.

10: Poor servicing

electric vehicle servicing

Now, this is not a technical issue with E-vehicles but a market-wide problem. Currently, the electric vehicle market is in a nascent stage, and due to lack of local repair/spare part market, EV owners have to rush to company service centers which costs them a lot more and usually takes a lot of time.

The biggest concern of Ola Electric buyers is the scooter’s servicing time and build quality. Using shortcuts like mass production, importing parts, etc. the EV makers are not focusing on the quality of the product, and those who do are selling their scooters at a much higher cost. Which is making the whole market crumble. However, this is just a matter of time, and these issues may vanish in upcoming times but if you are planning to buy an EV today, look out for its servicing horrors.

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Conclusion:

EV’s are inevitable and IC vehicle technology needs to completely vanish if not today then someday for sure. But what is more important is opting for EVs smartly. Be a smart investor and user of this growing goldmine industry.

All these points are presented here in front of you has gone through a lot of research, studies, and reviews. So please mind a share for this valuable piece of content and if you have any more points to add to this list please share with us in comments.

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