EV Simplified: Differences Between Commercial And Personal Electric Vehicles Explained

When the adoption of electric vehicles started picking up pace, the spotlight was on both personal and commercial EVs. Afterall, their massively reduced running costs have a positive impact on their businesses. That said, EVs used for commercial purposes and for private use are different in several aspects. We explain.

What are the major differences when it comes to fleet and personal EVs?
Well, fleet electric two-wheelers focus more on functionality, simplicity, and a utilitarian design, rather than aesthetics, performance, and advanced features. Most of the fleet EV two-wheelers are equipped with hooks and hangers that would allow the riders to carry more luggage without any inconvenience. In addition to that, these EVs also flaunt a great loading capacity. Some electric scooters like the Joy e-bike Del Go and the Hero Electric NYX HX come equipped with a cargo box at the rear of the vehicle for load carrying solutions.

In terms of power, the electric commercial two-wheelers put less weightage on the performance and more on range. This is because the fleet electric scooters are primarily meant for intra-city movement.

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One major differentiating factor between the B2B and B2C EV two-wheelers are the features offered. The commercial electric two-wheelers often miss out on the cool technological elements that come standard on the usual EVs like smartphone connectivity, ride modes and more.

Coming to the prices, the commercial electric two-wheelers are generally priced less, however, these EVs promise a low running cost to help in fleet management. Businesses are slowly opening up to replacing their fleet with EVs due to their inherent cost-friendliness over ICE counterparts.
In July 2021, pizza chain Dominos joined hands with Revolt to turn its delivery fleet into electric vehicles with the Revolt RV300 electric bikes. Hero Electric, on the other hand, has tied up with multiple B2B startups including Turtle Mobility, ebikeGO and OTO Capital to strengthen the last mile delivery segment in the country.

A new EV by TVS was spotted testing, and by its appearance, it looks like the company will be catering to the B2B electric scooter segment soon. The Indian government is also pushing towards greener logistics for businesses apart from encouraging faster adoption of EVs in the private segment. According to Delhi Electric Vehicles Policy 2020, all delivery service providers shall be expected to convert 50% of their fleet operating in Delhi to electric by 31st March, 2023 and 100% by 31st March, 2025. Summing up, EVs are showing good potential in both commercial and private space in the Indian two-wheeler market.