Electric vehicles (EVs) may not yet be as affordable as internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, but they are becoming more economical to run, offering greater range per charge at lower price points than they did nearly a decade ago.
For example, new-age electric two-wheeler makers Ola Electric Mobility Ltd and Ather Energy Ltd unveiled new models with claimed ranges of 300 kilometres and 200km on a single charge—roughly what an average petrol scooter can cover on a full tank.
A Mint review of the first and latest electric vehicles from Ather Energy, Ola Electric, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd and JSW MG Motor India shows that two-wheelers' range has nearly doubled, while cars' mileage has increased by 11% to 23% after years of refinement.
Improvements in range result from multiple advancements coming together, including Innovations in battery chemistry, energy-management software, power electronics, aerodynamics, and vehicle efficiency, enabling significantly more usable range from every kilowatt-hour, according to Vivek Srivatsa, chief commercial officer at Tata Passenger Electric Mobility.
“With real-world ranges now comfortably supporting both daily commuting and inter-city travel, faster charging infrastructure, and growing customer confidence, EVs are increasingly matching the practicality expected from conventional vehicles,” Srivatsa told Mint.
Ather co-founder and chief executive Tarun Mehta told Mint that solving for range was crucial, as it gives consumers a whole package to build confidence, as it launched its mass-market scooter, Konarc, on Saturday.
“Konarc comes with an onboard charger, so even if you're doing long distances, you don't have to carry an entire brick with you. And it also comes with a 200-km range option. So, if you see the entire package, the package is saying the same thing again and again, comfort over long distances with a lot of confidence,” Mehta added.
More miles per charge
Greater range per kWh could further boost EV adoption in the country, where electric car sales jumped 84% to 199,523 in 2025-26, about 4.2% of total car sales, while electric two-wheeler sales rose 22% to 1.4 million units, or about 6.5% of total two-wheeler sales, showed data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (Fada).
The momentum has continued in recent months, with electric car sales jumping 83% to 32,928 in July, while electric two-wheeler sales rose 88% to 204,362. EV penetration across both segments was less than 1% of the overall market in FY20.
Ather’s Konark offers a range of up to 200km, compared with 107km for its first scooter, priced at ₹1.24 lakh in 2018. Its cheaper ₹1.1 lakh variant had a 90-km range.
While the company has not disclosed the price of the 200-km version, the 125-km variant is priced at ₹1.22 lakh and the 161-km version at ₹1.45 lakh. The cheapest variant, with a 100km range, costs ₹99,999.
Ola Electric has announced that it will launch a 179km range scooter for ₹79,999, while a 301km range scooter will be priced at ₹99,999. The company’s first scooter, with a range of 181km, was launched in 2021, priced at ₹1.30 lakh.
Narrowing price gap
Their latest, cheapest offerings have also narrowed the price gap with mass-market petrol scooters. For example, the cheapest Honda Activa in 2018 cost ₹50,000; now it costs ₹76,000.
“By developing and manufacturing its Bharat Cell LFP technology in-house, Ola Electric has been able to significantly lower battery costs—the single largest cost component of an EV, making next-generation battery technology accessible at mass-market price points,” the company said in its 28 August statement.
Among four-wheelers, MG Motor India, which later became JSW MG Motor India in 2024, launched its first EV in 2020, the 419km range five-seater ZS EV, priced between ₹20 lakh and ₹24 lakh. Its latest offering, Hector Tomahawk, launched last week, can deliver a range of 517km at the same price point.
The Tata group has also improved both the range and price of its Punch EV. The first Punch EV, launched in 2024, was priced at ₹11 lakh- ₹14.5 lakh and offered a maximum range of 421km. The upgraded Punch EV, launched in February 2026, is priced at ₹9.7 lakh- ₹12.8 lakh and offers a maximum range of 468km.
The cheapest version of the older Punch EV had a range of around 315km, while the cheapest variant of the latest Punch EV offers around 335km.
Mint's queries emailed to JSW MG and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd remained unanswered.
Range is closer to stopping being a major impediment for the segments, according to experts. “On the vehicle itself, EVs are getting remarkably close to ICE parity. The 200-300km scooters and 400-600km cars are a clear indication that range is rapidly ceasing to be the fundamental barrier,” Vinay Piparsania, founder at MillenStrat Advisory and Research, said.
“I don't think range should be the benchmark for the next phase. Once the vehicle becomes broadly comparable, the real competitive question shifts to the ecosystem around it,” he said, noting that the charging ecosystem has to also walk side by side.