Two-wheelers such as motorcycles and scooters dominate the roads in Asia. In fact, 90% of two-wheeler sales are attributed to Asia. Several reasons contribute to the popularity of these vehicles. Firstly, compared to cars, two-wheelers are a much more affordable option for people; these vehicles can be bought for less than a thousand dollars while cars cost tens of thousands of dollars. Two-wheelers are also suitable for driving in many parts of Asia. For places with slow-moving traffic and dense, crowded streets, nimbler and smaller vehicles make navigation easier. Cities like Beijing are also sometimes so densely packed that many homes simply do not have space to store a car.
Even though two-wheelers are more eco-friendly than cars, air pollution is still a serious problem in Asia because of the densely packed roads. In 2021, The Energy Policy Institute at University of Chicago found that with current pollution levels, the lives of 40% of India’s population will be cut short by more than 9 years. Luckily, many automobile companies have been trending towards selling electric two-wheelers instead. Having more electric-fueled vehicles on the road will be not only better for the environment but for the health of the people living in it as well.
Sources
Dobberstein, Laura. “Electric two-wheelers are set to scoot past EVs in road race.” The Register, www.theregister.com/2023/05/18/electric_scooters_vehicles_asia/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2023.
Kotocky, Anurag, and Selina Xu. “E-Scooters on Island of the Gods Demonstrate Asia’s Green Shoots.” Bloomberg, 21 Nov. 2022, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-21/ e-scooters-on-island-of-the-gods-demonstrate-asia-s-green-shoots. Accessed 20 Nov. 2023.
Reuters. “Pollution Likely to Cut 9 Years of Life Expectancy of 40% of Indians.” AQLI, 1 Sept. 2021, aqli.epic.uchicago.edu/news/pollution-likely-to-cut-9-years-of-life-expectancy-of-40-of-indians/. Accessed 18 Oct. 2023.
Siddiqi, Shazan. “Electric Scooters to Continue Skyrocketing in Popularity.” IDTechEx, 6 Apr. 2023, www.idtechex.com/zh/research-article/electric-scooters-to-continue-skyrocketing-in-popularity/29027. Accessed 14 Oct. 2023.
Waterworth, David. “Don’t Forget The 2-Wheel Electric Revolution In Southeast Asia.” CleanTechnica, 26 Nov. 2022, cleantechnica.com/2022/11/26/dont-forget-the-2-wheel-electric-revolution/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2023.
