According to VAHAN data, Ola Electric has retaken the top spot in electric scooter production after four months.
In August’s e-scooter registrations, the EV company ranked fifth, just behind Hero Electric, Okinawa, Ampere and Ather Energy. It registered 8,780 users in September (until the 30th of September).
Analysts believe the increase was possible because it introduced affordable models below 1 lakh to broaden the market. It launched the S1 model on August 15 at 99,000 and it was evident in September. The S1 Pro, its earlier mainline model is around 1.5 lakh on the road with subsidies.
Ather Energy also introduced two new models in July — the 450X Gen 3 (ex-showroom Delhi) with a starting cost of 1.39 Lakh and the Ather 450 Plus Gen 3 in 1.17 Lakh – to boost its low numbers earlier. The strategy worked: Registrations increased by approximately 10% MoM at 5,811, which is its highest August performance.
“We have had a phenomenal H1FY23 with Ola emerging as a market leader yet again, in less than a year of starting deliveries. The demand for Ola S1 has been soaring, and our customers are loving its wide range of features at a highly competitive price point. On the other hand, the S1 Pro alone commands the majority of the market share today and is doing its job really well in the premium segment. We are very confident that we will continue to top the charts even in the next quarter, especially with the upcoming festive season,” said an Ola Electric spokesperson.
Despite the gains made by these 2 players, the collective registrations of 8 top electric scooter manufacturers, data which is available on VAHAN show only a slight increase of half a per cent MoM in September. (Registrations grew 10% over July).
Other top electric scooter companies, such as Hero Electric, Ampere, Pur, Being, Revolt, and Okinawa, saw a drop in registrations. After surpassing the 10,000 mark in August, Hero Electric’s registrations dropped sharply by 30% in September. It is now in third place, behind Ola Electric and Okinawa
According to EV manufacturers, the festival season will see overall sales rise substantially. Greaves Electric Mobility, which owns Ampere, has projected that the industry’s sales will reach 7 lakh. This is a significant increase from FY22’s 250,000.
For the first time in September, electric scooter registrations accounted for more than 4% of all two-wheeler registrations. This is the magic number that EV players consider as the point of transition for a faster conversion of the two-wheeler market to EV from ICE. The April record was 3.5%.
The increased penetration is due to a decrease in overall two-wheeler registrations (ICE and electric), in September. However, electric scooter registrations slightly increased.
The people are slowly understanding the benefit and advantages and getting out of the * range anxiety *. Once the scheduled banks and NBFC start normal lending at ICE rates, the sale will definitely improve.
Another aspect yo be highlighted is the cost includes a battery which can last 6-8 years and accordingly the amortisation is to be calculated
The savings in fuel cost will more than compensate the battery replacement costs.
It takes time for the Word of the mouth spreads.
The daily commute segment should have attractive options to exchange ICE with EV
That again will open up a new vertical of retrofits !!