E - Bikes.. Are we ready?

Before going for an EV you have to consider some of the important factors such as range, charging stations, service, cost and maintenance. Is it ok to jump from Gasoline to EV? World is moving towards technology. Technology is improving day by day and lot of innovative ideas were developed especially in mobility division. But still, is it okay to buy an EV now?... Let's see....

RANGE
When it comes to EV, the range offered will be less compared to IC engine bikes. This is one of the main reason for people still not going for EV's. For inside city usage EV will suit you. In India there are only few E-bikes such as Revolt's RV 300 and 400, Bajaj Chetak, Ather, Ampere, Prana.... At an average these bikes gives you a range of 80 kilometer per single charge which will not suit for long distance travel. There are several ways to increase your range where different modes are provided to us. Mostly Eco, Normal and Sports mode. In eco mode you can can get good range and speed is limited. In sports mode you can get peak power but range will fall. Normal mode gives you a moderate speed and range. For city purposes eco mode will be okay. The only problem is about long distance range.

CHARGING STATIONS
Till now, EV charging stations are only in the developing stage. If fast charging stations were developed, the problem of long distance travel will be reduced. When peoples take it for a long ride, these charging stations will help them very much. Like petrol filling stations, these charging stations also have to develop which enhances the development of electric vehicles. Imagine you park your bike at the charging station, taking a refreshment at a near hotel or restaurant coming back to take your fully charged bike. Till now fast charging was only at a developing stage. If you buy EV now, only less charging stations were present which concludes EV will suit you now only for city use and short distance usage.

SERVICE
Compared to IC engine bikes, EV's take less service cost. The only thing we should care about is brake and other chassis components. There is a less chance for power train component getting failed. If hub motor, then we should be careful when we drive in rain and in water stagnant areas. Batteries can hold up to 3-4 years up to an average. Other than batteries, there's no other factor that we can look for. In general service, the thing they look for is brakes, steering, tyres, and general electrical scan and belt or chain maintenance. There'll be less chance of motor or battery getting failed.

COST
We can expect, a cost of EV will be always higher because of the technology used in that ofcourse which is eco friendly. Once you get an EV, you may spend less amount of money for charging and maintaining it compared to IC engine bikes. It'll be suitable only if you use that for city purpose. You may think, at this price point you have more IC engine bikes present out there with more features. The only advantage is eco friendliness and less cost for charging and maintenance.

MAINTENANCE
The good news here is most of the E-Bikes are maintenance free due to less components. As I said previously, the only thing you have to look after is brakes, chain or belt, keeping tyres properly inflated.. You have to make sure, all electronics are properly insulated from water.

So, at this point which is the best one?

As I said, if you travel a lot inside a city you can move for E-Bikes. But when you are going for long rides and long distance travel you have to jump for gasoline powered bikes. Sure we have to protect our environment. But we should wait for enhancement of more charging stations and development in battery technologies which increases the sales and leads to the raising of more E-bike manufacturers.