Is the car petrol or diesel?
Approximately 3 years ago this was the first question you would ask someone the moment they tell you about buying a new car.
During those times the diesel prices were low when compared to the petrol prices which is one of the reason why the diesel engine cars were priced higher than the petrol engine cars.
At the same time cars and vehicles with diesel engines gave you a better mileage as well. So the calculated problems related to the purchase of a car started rising off the limit.
All thanks to the fuel finance problems, now we have a great choice of the electric vehicles or as they put it the EV’s that is currently conquering the automobile market. Though the price of an electric vehicle is slightly above the petrol/diesel engine vehicles,in the long run it is much more advantageous and economical when compared to the fuel based vehicles.
The electric vehicle was introduced to the Indian automobile market in the year 2016, however they did not make as good profits as the petrol/diesel driven vehicles.
The electric cars were always a second choice for the customers and was also preferred for the reason that you do not need to hold a license to drive an electric vehicle, however things started changing since the year 2020 as the fuel prices started soaring so high that we did not see any chance of it coming down at all. This is when people started opting for electric vehicles more so that they are able to manage their domestic finances better.
The Beginning of the Electric Vehicles Era in India
It was in the year 2015-16 that India saw the emergence of the electric vehicles in the Indian automobile market through Mahindra E-20 and E-Verito, however this came to a slow down due to few core reasons such as:
- Low Charging Capacity
- High Price Range
- Unavailability of charging cables
In 2019 the Hyundai electric car Kona changed the complete concept of electric vehicles and the customers developed a more positive approach towards the electric vehicle concept. Though it was highly priced to an extent, the vehicle features attracted more customers. This graph rose to a higher scale through the emergence of Tata Nexon EV and MG ZS EV in the Indian automobile market.
These three electric vehicles exhibited real robust features which were not seen in the initial models of Electric Vehicles in the industry.
The Hyundai Kona promised 450 kilometres range at a price of 28 lakhs, whereas MG ZS EV promised to give 420 km range at a price of 23 lakhs. But it was Tata Nexon that took the final trophy by giving 320 km range at a real cost effective price of 16 lakhs.
Benefits of an Electric Vehicle
Before we move further let us scan some of the cool benefits of owning an EV:
Great Value for Money
As per the manufacturers of the EV, even if you reduce a range of 100 kms, you will still see a fall in your electricity bill tariff when compared to the price you pay for travelling 1 km in a petrol/diesel driven car. For eg. If you take the case of Tata Nexon, it gives you a 30.2 Kilowatt of energy and it approximately requires 30.2 units of electricity to charge its battery. It costs Rs 8 per unit of electricity, so the entire bill amount for charging your car would come up to Rs 241.60.
So even if you reduce the range by 100 kms, you would only land up paying Rs 1.21 per km which is way less than your petrol/diesel prices. As per the statistics one requires atleast Rs 1200 to travel 200 kms in the Petrol version of Tata Nexon, which means you spent Rs 6 per kilometer. Same holds good for the diesel version as well. It just goes to show that it is way pricier when compared to an Electric version of the vehicle.
Maintenance Free
EV’s usually are low maintenance vehicles as you do not have change the oil each time your car crosses a certain distance limit. Also the vehicle is devoid of all complicated spare parts such as oil filter, spark plug, fan belt etc which adds up to its low maintenance feature.
Smoke Free and Environment Friendly
We do not think this features requires any kind of elaboration as EV’s are absolutely smoke free for the obvious reason and in turn does not have a big role in disturbing the nature’s balance.
Electric Two Wheelers
Along with the Electric cars, even the Electric scooters have made their way into the automobile market and are thriving full-fledged.
The recent launch of the Electric Scooter by Ola saw a booking of 1 lakh in just 48 hours. Also the ones who booked for the vehicle were already the owners of a bike or a scooter. Infact , a great rise has been recorded in the sale of E-scooters when compared to Electric Cars.
The year 2020 alone saw a sales rise of 25,598 Electric Scooters and by June 2021, it further rose to 30,000. The price rise in petrol/diesel is compelling people to purchase Electric Scooters in the coming years.
Government Subsidy for the purchase of EV’s
As per the ‘Fame-2’ subsidy rule, the Government of India has promised to give a subsidy allowance according to the battery power of the car. You can get a subsidy of Rs 15000 per Kilowatt. There are also several other subsidies in the pipleline that are yet to be launched by the Government of India. Moreover there are lot of breathers when it comes to the Registration charges and Taxation charges for Electric Cars, by the Government of India.
The New Electric Cars in the Indian Market
Some of the few new electric cars that are waiting to conquer the Indian automobile market are:
- Tata Tigor EV (Already launched)
- Mahindra XUV 300 Electric (Yet to Launch)
- Kia Motors Sole (Yet to Launch)
Apart from these there are more Electric Cars lined up for their official announcement and launch
Electric Cars of the Indian Automobile World-Specifications
TATA NEXON EV
| Tata Nexon EV Range– 312 Kilometer Power– 129 P.S Power/245 NM Torque Battery-30.2 kWh Lithium Ion Battery Charging-8.5 hours Battery Warranty– 8 Years Price Range– 13.99 Lakhs to 16.85 Lakhs |
MG ZS EV
| MG. ZS EV Range– 419 Kilometer Power– 142.7 P.S Power/353 NM Torque Battery-44,5 kWh High-Tech Battery Charging-6-10 Hours Battery Warranty– 8 Years Price Range– Starting from 20.99 Lakhs |
HYUNDAI KONA EV
| Hyundai Kona Range-452 Km Power-136 P.S Power/395 N A Torque Battery-392 kWh Lithium Ion Battery Charging-6-10 Hours Battery Warranty-8 years Price-23.79 Lakhs |
Final Thoughts
It is no doubt that the Electric Vehicles are the future of the automobile industry. The Government of India is aiming to convert 80% of the vehicles in to electric ones by the year 2030. Additionally, luxury cars such as Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover etc are waiting to launch their EV version soon.
