Low Power Electric Two-Wheelers for Hilly Region

Abstract

In the past decade, the electric two-wheelers have been quite popular in China and many southeast Asian countries for urban drives. Its presence is fast growing in India too. The electric two-wheelers are well suited for plain region drive, particularly for short driving distances because of the limitation of the battery capacity. This limitation also restricts motor power rating usually up to 1 kW. The term “electric scooter” will be used throughout this paper for this kind of a low power electric two-wheelers. They give a top speed of about 40-50 km/hr and a range of about 50 km. These types of electric two-wheeler are not commonly seen or used in the hilly region. This paper studies the challenges faced by electric scooters on a hilly road drive, which are otherwise not seen in the plain road drive. Necessary modifications are suggested to make it suitable for the hilly region.