EV Scooters Vs. Petrol Motorcycles | Which Is A Better Deal In 2024?
In 2022, Pakistan first received a wave of EV bikes in the local market when Jolta Electric introduced its EV bike lineup. Following in 2023, Metro Motorcycles invested heavily in its EV scooter lineup for Pakistan.
That’s when the EV market received momentum.
After some time, many other players entered the competition, including:
At the end of 2023, Yadea, the largest Chinese electric scooter manufacturer, started its operations in Pakistan.
If you want to buy an electric bike or scooter now, you have got choices from more than 5 companies, and many are preparing to launch their operations soon in Pakistan.
Now, the confusion is, which type of 2-wheeler could be best for you, i.e., Electric or Petrol? The answer is a bit complex and depends on multiple factors and the buyer’s purchase decision.
Pakwheels Opinion
In one line, if you have daily running of 30-50 km, you want a very low-running cost transport and don’t mind a vehicle that can only do 50-60 km/h max speed, an EV scooter is ideal for you, i.e., Yadea T5 or Metro E8s.
If you care about resale,? have long daily running like more than 50 km, don’t have feasible access to electricity supply, and want reliability with easy access to repairs, a petrol bike is best for you, e.g., Honda CD70 or YBR 125.
Quick Comparison
If you don’t want to read the whole article, here’s a quick comparison:
Running Cost?
EV is the simple winner, without any doubt!
An electric motor system is 75% more efficient than an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine), which is only 15-25% efficient. It simply means the cost per km of a vehicle will be much less than that of a gasoline engine. Let’s do the calculation here:
2 units of electricity is taken by an EV to fully charge and it can travel 70 km on one charge. Its cost-per-km will be Rs.1.4/km.
A gasoline 70cc engine does 52 km/l. Its cost-per-km will be Rs.5.25/km (Rs.273 Petrol price).
Winner: EV
Long-term Maintenance Cost?
The biggest maintenance cost in an EV is the battery replacement cost, while the biggest costs in petrol bikes are periodic maintenance and engine oil cost.
We’ll take CD70 for an example in a petrol bike:
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Winner: EV
Initial Investment Cost
Here, a EV bikes takes the lead. For example:
Winner: EV
Goodies and Features
Even a Yadea T9, which costs 260K PKR, offers more extras and hi-tech goodies than a Suzuki GR 150, which costs 547K PKR.
Almost all EVs have the same features, just some design, battery, and motor updates. Here’s a comparison of what an average EV scooter and an expensive petrol bike get you, i.e., GR 150, YBR, and GD110s:
?Winner: EV?
Spares availability and Long Travelling
Without any doubt, petrol engines take the lead here.
Petrol bikes can be taken to almost any part of the country, no matter how remote the location; you just need to put in fuel and be ready to go.
On the other hand, you can’t go on a long ride in an electric scooter. There is no EV infrastructure for 2-wheelers in Pakistan. They are only good if you want to do short city commutes with specific daily running, like 30-50 km maximum in the city.
Winner: Petrol engine
Speed and Performance
Even the CD 70 has better power figures than any officially available EV scooter in Pakistan.
EVs do have better torque and more power capabilities than a petrol engine of the same league, but in Pakistan, manufacturers build very low-performance EVs that can hardly touch 70 km/h top speed.
If you need performance, pick, and power, EVs are not for you.
An average officially available brand new EV scooter in Pakistan can only achieve a top speed of 45-60 km/h, while a petrol bike (except CD70) can achieve a top speed of 100-115 km/h.
Winner: Petrol engine
Resale of the Vehicle
Currently, petrol bikes have better resale than EV scooters. However, it might be temporary and people might lean more towards EVs in the coming future.
Currently, it’s an absolute waste of money if you’re buying an EV scooter for resale; they rarely have a market in the resale world.
All petrol motorcycles have a much better resale market than EV scooters, e.g., Honda CG 125, YBR 125 and GS 150.
Winner: Petrol engine