Can electric vehicles become the main force of transportation in Asian cities
Every time the word "electric car" is mentioned in the UK, it's likely that a Tesla or similar rechargeable battery-powered vehicle comes to mind. In Asia, a battle for the dominance of electric vehicles is being staged in the field of traditional motorcycles (also known as locomotives and motorcycles).Anyone who has visited the Asian country has probably seen the swarms of motorcycles moving around like a tidal torrent.
Due to the large population in Asia, in addition to crowded cities and narrow streets, mobility and saving money are also the reasons why motorcycles can replace the role of "family cars" to a certain extent. Especially cheap, whether in Taiwan, Cambodia, India or Indonesia, people often see a family riding a two-wheeler.
In fact, more than half of the global motorcycle sales are in Asia, and in some countries it is even difficult to find a home without a motorcycle.
In Thailand, for example, it is the country with the highest number of motorcycles per person. 87% of households own at least one motorcycle. The most typical is a variety of scooters, where the rider can sit on the bike with both feet in front.
Second only to Thailand in terms of the number of motorcycles owned by households is Vietnam (86%), then Indonesia (85%), and then Malaysia (83%). In the two huge markets of China and India, the figure has dropped to 60% and 47%, but it is still much higher than the UK figure of 7%.
Most motorcycles in Asia run on gasoline, but transportation experts say a dramatic change is taking place now that electric drives are rapidly replacing gasoline-powered motorcycles.
"We see huge room for growth (in the development of electric motorcycles), especially in Asia, mainly for the following reasons," said Arushi Kotecha, an auto industry analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, a global research firm. )Say. "First, especially in markets outside China, such as India and Southeast Asia, where average personal disposable income is still not high, sedans are too expensive."
"Also, especially at a time like this, the price of food and fuel has gone up a lot. That raises the direct cost of owning a petrol vehicle. That's what we think the shift to electric (motorbikes) is going to be fast."
Ms. Cotecha also said that the scale of electric motorcycles in Asia will exceed current levels by 2-3 times by 2030.
Meanwhile, a report earlier this year predicted that the world’s electric motorcycles will double from $15.73 billion in 2020 to $30.52 billion by 2030.
