Greentech Lead Asia: The market for electric scooters is
expected to expand from around 12 million vehicles in 2012 to a cumulative
total of more than 103 million vehicles on Asia’s roads by 2018, according to
Pike research.
The report also finds the market for e-motorcycles in
Asia Pacific is expected to be small compared with e-scooters. Consumers
here consider e-motorcycles a luxury, rather than an essential mode of
transportation.
China will top in electric scooters, with an estimated 91
million e-scooters by 2018, according to the report “Electric Two-Wheel
Vehicles in Asia Pacific.”
Overall sales of electric two-wheel vehicles (e-scooters,
e-motorcycles, and e-bicycles) will reach more than 65 million units annually
across Asia Pacific in 2018, with 60 million of these in China, the report
said.
“Electric scooters meet the mobility requirements of a
growing number of urban, middle class consumers in Asia Pacific,” according to
research analyst Andy Bae. “Increasing population density, rising urbanization,
increases in income levels, and government policies are all fueling the demand
for lightweight, highly mobile electric two-wheel vehicles.”
On a cumulative basis, sales in China will reach more
than 355 million units by 2018 – 93 percent of the total in Asia Pacific. With
its surging economy, widely available electricity, and growing middle class,
India in particular is expected to be a bright spot for e-scooters in the
coming years, the study finds.