To compare electric vehicle vs petrol vehicle for performance is easy. But to compare running cost of an electric vehicle vs petrol vehicle needs attention.
Today one out of every three Indian two wheeler customer is confused whether to buy a petrol bike or an electric bike.
But people have to understand that the answer to this question is simple but not the same for every bike.
As we know that 75% of total vehicles sold in India are two wheelers, and a very large group of people are directly related to this question. So today we will talk about electric two wheeler vs petrol bike that too with technical analysis.
I have already explained “How to calculate the running cost of an electric vehicle” through a article and youtube video.
I provided instructions on how to calculate the battery cost per kilometer and the overall operating costs of an electric vehicle. This is most important part of comparing electric vehicle vs petrol vehicle.
By following the above link, you can learn more about the computations in detail.
Additionally, I created an Android app for EV calculations that is free to download from the Google Play store.
Therefore, I will explain today which bike will be inexpensive and which will be expensive in particular situations.
Assuming the aforementioned figures, let’s go on to various scenarios..
Li-ion battery cost 20k per kwh | Life cycle 1000-1500
Lead-acid cost 10k/kwh | Life cycle 400
Electricity charges Rs.7.5/unit
Electricity cost per km and battery replacement cost per km are added to create the electric vehicle’s total operational cost per km.
Let’s use an Android app to calculate it for the scenario below.
Keep in mind that we’ll require sections 8, 9, and 10 of the EV Calculator Pro app.
Case 1: EV Bike
- Battery Capacity: 2.5kwh Li-ion or 48V, 52Ah Li-ion
- Range: 70km
- Motor Power: 3.3kw
Keep in mind that this range depends on motor power. In other words, range will be reduced with higher motor power for the same battery kwh. For increased performance, faster top speed, and higher acceleration, range will be reduced. Or you could say that a smaller battery is needed for a smaller motor to attain the same range.
Consequently, it is essential to compare motor power as well.
Go to the android app and calculate the total cost step-by-step.
Calculate Electricity Cost of Vehicle
Vehicle Electricity cost is18.72 INR/charger
If you only know the kwh rating and are unsure of the battery voltage and Ah rating, select it such that its multiplication becomes known Kwh figure. For example, if you know the battery has a 2.5 kwh capacity and the voltage is 48 V, you would enter the value of the Ah rating as 25000/48, i.e 52 Ah.
Vehicle Running Cost Calculator
Vehicle Electricity cost per km is 0.27 INR/km
Battery Replacement Cost
Considering battery cost Rs.20k/kwh, total battery cost is Rs.50000.
Considering best quality cells with lifecycle 1500.
Battery replacement cost is Rs. 0.48/km
Thus total running cost is Rs.0.27/km + Rs.0.47/km = Rs.0.75/km
If consider cell life cycle = 1000, then battery replacement cost becomes 0.71/km and the total running cost is Rs.0.27/km + 0.47/km = 0.98/km
If the price of this bike is Rs.1.5 lakh then it means Rs.1 lakh is the cost of the bike and Rs.50000 is the cost of the battery which is nothing but fuel.
Lets calculate the cost/km for more cases and analyze the results.
Actual Running Cost of Electric Bikes
Above analysis shows that similar to how higher cc bikes consume more fuel than lower cc bikes, higher power EV bikes will have higher operating costs.
Compare the operating costs of electric bikes against petrol bikes.
Electric Bike Running Cost Vs. Petrol Bike Running Cost
Above data shows that electric two wheelers are more affordable than petrol bikes, even after accounting for the cost of battery replacement.
Lets separate the battery cost and the vehicle cost from total cost of the electric vehicle.
The cost of an electric bike without a battery is shown in the table below so that we can readily compare it to petrol bikes.
Separation of Battery Cost and Actual Bike Price
Look at the table below for a comparison of the initial costs of electric bikes (without batteries) vs petrol bikes.
Initial Cost (Electric Bike Vs. Petrol Bike)
The price of EV bikes without batteries appears to be slightly more expensive than the price of comparable petrol bikes.
It is clear that EVs offer modern conveniences like navigation systems, LCD displays, and app management.
Besides the price of Electric Bikes also includes the cost of chargers.
Therefore, considering the same feature upgrades, we may conclude that the price of electric bikes without batteries and petrol bikes is the same.
That also implies that the price of an IC engine and an electric motor controller are equal.
Future battery replacement costs must be taken into account after all of this. What we talked about was predicated on the cost of gasoline and batteries right now. Contrary to gasoline bikes, consumers must buy a new battery every five to ten years.
Battery Replacement Cost of Electric Bikes
Summary:
According to the figures above, EVs currently offer an almost 50% savings in operating costs. The price of the battery and petrol will be determined by the market in the future. As a result, nobody is able to predict future winners. However, the approximate cost of the battery that EV owners will have to pay for a new battery after 5 to 10 years is listed below.
Future Battery Expenses of an Electric Bikes
We can anticipate that the difference between the operating costs of EVs and petrol bikes will remain the same as it is today given the same increase in the price of gasoline.
Simply said, Electric bikes cost 50% less than petrol bikes. This implies that the EV will cost Rs.1/km if a petrol bike costs Rs.2/km.
Furthermore, Running cost of the electric bike is not only the electricity consumption cost, but considering battery replacement cost, the running cost of an electric bike comes to 2.5 to 3.5 times higher than the electricity consumption cost.
I appreciate you reading. I hope you enjoy the analysis. Please click the “like” button and add a comment with your thoughts.
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