With petrol at Rs. 327.12 per litre, the running-cost gap between a conventional motorcycle and an electric one has widened to the point where the comparison is no longer close.
Take a typical 70cc commuter returning around 55 kilometres per litre. At today's price that is roughly Rs. 5.9 per kilometre. An electric bike drawing about 2 units of electricity per 100 kilometres costs well under a rupee per kilometre at household tariffs — and less still for anyone charging from rooftop solar.
For a rider covering 50 kilometres a day, that difference works out to a saving of roughly Rs. 7,000 or more per month. Against the price premium electric bikes currently carry over entry-level petrol models, the payback period lands somewhere around two to three years — and shortens every time petrol rises.
The honest caveats remain. Battery replacement is the major long-term cost and should be checked against the warranty before buying. Service networks for electric two-wheelers are still thinner outside major cities. And range drops with heavy loads and hot weather. Compare current prices and specifications for both petrol and electric models in our Bikes section.