[arnav17]

Hey guys,

With age comes an upgrade. Although not immediately; we are looking to replace our 13 year old access 125. I had mentioned about a problem in a thread, which was fixed up until now but it has returned with a vengeance, It now refuses to start, with choke, without choke, with kick, without kick.

The dilemma is now the obvious. Is it going to be a futuristic EV or the efficient old petrol. The criteria for this:
Daily usage of minimum 5 km and can go up to maximum 20km.

Not mentioned the price criteria for the scooter as it depends on its VFM.

I have summed up the pros and cons of both types below as per my understanding.


Pros of getting an Electric Scooter :
1) Its Electric!
2) I would be eligible to drive it in a few months.
3) Cheaper to own.
4) Electric is the future(?)
5) Silent but fast!
6) Electric just seems like a more popular and sustainable Idea.




Cons of getting an electric scooter (Mostly quoted by my mother) :
1) May struggle to take 2 people (?)
2) Charging infrastructure is still not very developed
3) Electricity prices in Karnataka
4) After being used to a petrol, adjusting may be difficult.



Pros of getting a petrol scooter :
1) Have run in the past, Is running in the present, and will run for a long time to come.
2) Convenient in terms of fuel compared to Charging stations
3) No range anxiety
4) Something that we are obviously used to.



Cons of getting a petrol scooter :
1) Electric seems to be the future, at least for now.
2) Higher long term running cost compared to EV’s.



I know that I may have contradicted myself in some of the points, but have just penned down what I thought.

Electric scooter options considered :
Ather 450X (Primary choice)
TVS Iqube



Not considered :
Ola S1 Pro
Simple one
Vida V1


Petrol options :
Suzuki Access 125 ( the most obvious choice for a successor)
Honda Activa 5G
(List can be expanded depending on the type of scooter chosen)



Looking forward to recommendations based on the type and also on the model.

Thanks in Advance!

[Turbohead]

Having driven the Ather 450 while currently being the owner of an Access 125, you're just a test drive away from being a convert to electric.

The real question you should be asking is:
1) The ability to charge your scooter at home.
2) Whether you want to pay the premium charged which I assume is about ₹50-60k probably more with the lowered subsidies.

If you aren't convinced of electric, do checkout the Ntorq 125. I loved it's balance of ride and handling.

[aargee]

If you can afford for an EV scooter, then by all means you should go for it
If you're prioritizing any of the below points then you should go for EV scooter

• Convenience of ownership
• Latest technology
• Care for environment
• Heart says EV

If you're looking for VFM or don't mind too much convenience on maintenance then for your usage of up to even 10-12 Km a day on average - a petrol scooter makes more sense than EV on the cost of ownership on long run

Opt for EV only if your daily usage is over 18 Km a day. Have given an extensive research on this post if you like to compare EV vs Fossil fueled scooter.

Good luck

[ike]

I made the switch last year and own an Ather 450x.

Originally Posted by arnav17

Cons of getting an electric scooter (Mostly quoted by my mother) :
1) May struggle to take 2 people (?)
2) Charging infrastructure is still not very developed
3) Electricity prices in Karnataka
4) After being used to a petrol, adjusting may be difficult.

1. Not true.
2. Is developing and unless you do really long distances(more than 30 to 50 KMS one-way) this is very manageable
3. Electricity prices are definitely cheaper than Petrol and is likely to remain that way. It is even more beneficial if you have the appetite and the means to set up solar panels.
4. Again nothing to "adjust" per se, if anything EVs are smoother and handle better than conventional scooters.

Originally Posted by arnav17

Pros of getting a petrol scooter :
1) Have run in the past, Is running in the present, and will run for a long time to come.
2) Convenient in terms of fuel compared to Charging stations
3) No range anxiety
4) Something that we are obviously used to.

1. No reason to believe electric motors won't be around, conversely it is more rugged and dependable than ICE.
2. Once you get used to it won't be a bother anymore.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by arnav17

H
The dilemma is now the obvious. Is it going to be a futuristic EV or the efficient old petrol. The criteria for this:
Daily usage of minimum 5 km and can go up to maximum 20km.

Low running is the only case against EV considering you will be paying more upfront and eventually battery replacement after say 7-8 years. If your running was more than 30-40 kms daily, then it would have been a no brainer. Voted for EV since an Ather is anyday better to the ones you have shortlisted for petrol keeping the running (km) part away.

[deep_bang]

As long as the initial investment is something is not bothering you, EVs are better than Petrol ones in almost every way for your usage. The only question though is your access to charging infrastructure. If you have it at home then it's a no brainer.

Apartments for example may or may not allow you to have a charging point. In my view this is probably the only reason why it's not even more popular (apart from the initial cost).

[sreejithkk]

Just for the riding experience, EV makes sense, but after the reduced FAME subsidy, financially they don't make sense anymore.

[shashant]

One thing where ICE scooters have edge over electric is availability of ABS. If that is something a must have for you.

[Osteon206]

Voted Electric scooter. The Ather 450X makes sense for me as an alternative to the Taigun when travelling alone. We are saving on almost 7k per month after getting the Ather. Why particularly Ather was because I have a pretty large frame and this suited me best.

Monthly usage (Average)
Ather - 600km
Taigun - 1200km (predominantly highway)

[Sandy Damodaran]

I'm all for electric scooters in future, however as it stands now, i wouldn't touch one with a barge pole for the simple reason that they are nowhere near the reliability of conventional ones.
The day Honda or Suzuki launches an electric scooter in India is the day I'd buy one. Went through a lot of mental stress owning a desi ICE scooter long back (Mahindra something) not trusting a desi brand for any vehicle ever again. Ola has enough fork breaks to stay away.

[Kkumar]

One should consider the following points before jumping into the EV bandwagon:
1. High initial cost
2. Low range
3. Also the range keeps on reducing with the age of the battery
4. Replacement cost of battery
5. Availability of charging infra
6. Even though many people claim EV to be green, it’s not true because the amount of pollution caused by lithium extraction is too much and also the majority of electricity generation in our is coal based.

After considering the above points one should decide for himself.

[cefiljoseph]

When it comes to cars, I don’t think it’s the right time to covert to EV although there are some impressive models in the market. However, for scooters it’s a different story for me. Would only buy an electric scooter at this point. The one to buy in my option is the latest Ather with the highest range available. ICE scooters of today have some reliability and quality issues especially after new emission norms and cost cutting measures.

That said, buying an electric scooter is not a financially better decision despite the saving on fuel. It’s hard for the savings on fuel to overcome the cost of premium on the scooter itself.

Nonetheless, seeing the quality of ICE scooters today, I would take an Ather without second thought. Be prepared to face some niggles in software side since it is a newer technology but most of it must be fixed at this point. Good luck on the upgrade

[vivek_lo]

I bought Ather 450, in the first batch to replace my 2008 Access. My running is also very low. Very comparable case. Access is a very well built scooter, especially the initial batches with lot of Suzuki components. It was a fantastic companion. Ather is a different league. Insane acceleration that needs to be experienced. Among the present Electric scooters, I consider it the best build. Go ahead and enjoy.
Cons-
As others pointed out charging facility at home and the initial cost are to be considered.
One practical problem for low users like me is that we dont charge it regularly, and when you suddenly want to have a go, you find that the remaining charge is inadequate. Beware of this!
So I ended up retaining my Access, ever available

[Arun_S]

Currently in the decision process of helping my brother shortlist between the 2 choices

Ather or Access 125.

He mostly works from home, and his daily usage some days is zero.

We decided to go ahead with Access. Primary reason, for his usage the running cost doesn't offset the higher price.

[autocool]

I recently made the switch myself to an EV last month. My daily usage is similar to yours. My consideration was to keep it value for money (VFM) as much as possible in comparison to ICE scooter. So, from a financial standpoint, it wasn't prudent for me to spend over 1.3L on an EV scooter.

Taking these factors into account, I ended up purchasing the iQube base variant. However, this was before the reduction in the FAME II subsidy.

You can find the post of my initial impressions here - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...ml#post5561306 (2022 TVS iQube Electric Scooter launched at Rs 98,564)

Initially, I test drove the Ather 450X and absolutely loved it. I even made a booking for it. However, I had to cancel the booking because the dealer couldn't provide clear information about the pricing and delivery date. The on-road price was almost reaching 1.64L, which was a significant factor in my decision.

Now, with the FAME II subsidy reduced, even the base variants are costing over 1.4L and doesn't make financial sense if your usage is low. However, since EV's are the future, I would encourage you to take the plunge.