Top 4 e-scooter makers refund ₹10 crore to buyers

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Earlier this year, a government probe into customer complaints had found that Ola Electric, Ather Energy, TVS Motor and Hero MotoCorp were billing their charger and proprietary software as an add-on to their electric scooters in a bid to lower the reported sale price of their products and be eligible for subsidies under a government programme that seeks to promote local manufacturing and faster adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). In May this year, the four companies had agreed to refund ₹305.61 crore to customers who had bought the off-board chargers.

According to official estimates, Ather Energy has to refund ₹157.78 crore, Ola Electric ₹130 crore, TVS Motor Company ₹15.6 crore, and Hero MotoCorp ₹2.26 crore. Government data shows that Ola Electric has paid back ₹4.25 crore of its total refund dues while Ather Energy has reimbursed ₹3.97 crore.

Hero MotoCorp has cleared most of its liability by refunding ₹1.64 crore, and TVS Motor Company has paid back ₹9 lakh. The Centre offers subsidy on the sale of locally made EVs under its FAME (faster adoption and manufacturing of hybrid & electric vehicles) scheme.

However, electric two-wheelers priced above ₹1.5 lakh are not eligible. While these companies have cited non-availability of bank account details of customers as one of the reasons for slow progress in refund, officials have played it down, saying information about buyers are available and refunds can be speeded up.