Hero Electric sells record over 10K EV 2-wheelers in a month, Ola Electric falters

New Delhi, Sep 1

Hero Electric once again led the Indian electric vehicle (EV) two-wheeler segment in August, selling a record and highest-ever 10,476 vehicles in one month, followed by Okinawa Autotech at 8,554 vehicles, the latest government VAHAN data has revealed.

Hero Electric had sold 8,954 EV two-wheelers in July while Okinawa Autotech had sold 8,096 two-wheelers.

Bhavish Aggarwal-run Ola Electric sold 3,421 EV two-wheelers in August, a drop from 3,862 units the company sold in July, indicating that it still needs to bring its strategy back on track.

Ather Energy saw a massive jump at selling 5,239 vehicles, from a mere 1,289 in July.

Ampere Vehicles Pvt Ltd, which sold 6,319 vehicles last month, saw a marginal hike at 6,396 sold units.

In a bid to boost two-wheeler EV adoption and battery swapping infrastructure, Hero Electric is set to partner with Jio-bp to strengthen mobility solutions for electric two-wheelers.

The customers of Hero Electric are expected to get access to the widespread charging and swapping network of Jio-bp, which is also open to other vehicles.

A recent report revealed that only 1 per cent household consumers plan to buy an e-scooter in the next six months amid safety and performance concerns, as the government probes multiple fires in electric two-wheelers.

Around 32 per cent of respondents are not convinced about the safety and performance of electric scooters in August while in March this year, the number stood at 17 per cent - as more than two dozen electric two-wheelers caught fire in March and April, according to community social media platform LocalCircles.

After more than two dozen electric two-wheelers caught fire in March and April, around 7,000 units were "voluntarily" recalled by electric scooter makers such as Ola, Pure EV, and Okinawa.

The government set up a committee of experts from Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) and the Indian Institute of Science to carry out detailed investigation and frame 'quality-centric' guidelines for EV manufacturers, which are expected to be released soon.

The fallout of EV fires is that just 1 per cent of over 11,000 respondents said they plan to buy an e-scooter in the next 6 months.

Nearly 5 per cent said they are keen to buy but "were not convinced about the infrastructure available for e-scooters where I live/work" and 7 per cent said they do not have funds for buying e-scooters.

While there are people keen to buy e-scooters, concern over safety and performance are rising.

"It is critical for the government and industry to win consumer confidence," the report mentioned.