Automotive Hegemony
The world is dependent perforce on China for the supply of the components required for internal combustion engine (ICE) bikes and even more so in the case of electric bikes. The lure of low-cost components from that country has made most manufacturers dependent on China. Now it is high time they stopped looking at maximizing their profits and began looking at other countries to source such components.
What we have been saying about the drawbacks of electric vehicles (EV) and the world’s dependence on China for batteries and other components and how that country will hold the entire global automobile industry to ransom has already come true with them showing unwillingness to supply rare earth magnets. This was our prediction for the future with regard to EV and, sadly, it has come true sooner than expected. I hope the global automobile industry takes a cue from this and reassesses its plans for the future in order not to be dependent on any one country for the supply of raw material and components.
The principal difference between an established two-wheeler manufacturer who ventures into electric two-wheelers and a start-up that has no prior experience in making scooters or motorcycles lies in the overall riding experience such as suspension set-up, ergonomics, and fit and finish. The first aspect that hits one is the ride quality. Most two-wheelers manufactured by start-ups tend to be so stiffly sprung that one feels that one’s kidneys will fall off if one does not wear a motocross kidney belt. To make matters worse, most road surfaces in India now are far worse than what they were 40 to 50 years ago when we used to ride rigid motorcycles without any suspension. They were not unrideable despite being so rigid.
Last month I was in Hyderabad and the surface of the outer ring road there was fantastic. We should consider sending all the road contractors from across the country to take a good look at such roads.
