EV boom, but no room for repairs

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Electric scooter (e-scooter) usage has spiked across the city, but when these vehicles break down, owners find themselves helpless. The lack of local service centres and trained technicians has turned convenience into chaos.

‘No petrol, No tension’... Until it breaks down

Drawn by fuel savings and low maintenance claims, buyers are quick to choose e-scooters. But within months, battery issues, motor heating, charging failures, and brake glitches start showing up. The problem? No reliable garage in sight. While petrol vehicle repairs are just a street away, EVs need specialised care. And that’s missing. Mechanics lack training, and brands offer little post-sale support.

Second-hand EV market rising, for the wrong reasons

Frustrated by recurring faults and no servicing help, many users are selling their e-scooters early. This has boosted the second-hand market, but many such vehicles now lie abandoned on roadsides.“Sellers only talk about savings. Once the vehicle breaks down, you’re told to email the company, which then says there's no city centre,”

— Siddharth Vadamare, a local user.

Infrastructure lags behind ambition

Government pushes for e-mobility, but without a local repair ecosystem, the shift remains incomplete. There’s an urgent need for city-wide EV service centres, battery hubs, and mobile repair vans.“EVs are the future, but what about support? We can’t let people say ‘saved petrol, but spent double on time and repairs.’ It’s time for the government, local bodies, and companies to act,”

— Sharad Mhaske, EV advocate.