<div id="readability-page-1" class="page"><div><p>Rising consumer anxiety over fuel prices amid the ongoing West Asia conflict has sharply accelerated the adoption of electric two-wheelers (E2W) in India, with penetration levels jumping to 9.7 per cent in March from around 6.5–7 per cent in preceding months, said Ravneet S Phokela, chief business officer at Ather Energy.</p></div><div><div><div id="article-index-0">  <p>  He was speaking at a media roundtable on Monday after the launch of the Light Electric-Vehicle Acceleration Forum (LEAF), an industry-led consortium focused on standardising and expanding EV charging infrastructure for electric two- and three-wheelers. He said the conflict in West Asia has provided a &#34;fillip to the entire E2W industry&#34;, as customers wary of petrol price volatility increasingly shift towards electric options.</p> </div><div id="article-index-1">  <p>  “I have a clear view on E2W... If you look at penetration, it's been about 6.5–7% for the last many months. This month, on a MTD (month-to-date) basis, the penetration of E2W in total two-wheeler sales is 9.7 per cent. This is today's morning data from Vahan,” he said, referring to the government’s vehicle registration database.</p> </div><div id="article-index-2">  <p>  In March so far, he said, about 1,62,000 electric two-wheelers have been registered on the Vahan portal, with two days still remaining in the month. This compares with roughly 1,12,000 units in February, indicating a sharp sequential rise.</p> </div><div id="article-index-3">  <p>  Phokela attributed the spike primarily to shifting consumer sentiment rather than seasonal factors. “You can argue that it was a festive month… but that helped the entire industry. Why is it just the E2W segment that is seeing its penetration in overall two-wheelers going up?” he said, adding, “If you start isolating, I can't see any other reason why except this (worries over petrol).”</p> </div><div id="article-index-4">  <p>  The executive pointed to behavioural shifts among so-called “fence-sitters” — customers who were undecided between internal combustion engine vehicles and electric alternatives. “The fence-sitters are sort of tipping over on the other side — that is our hypothesis,” he said.</p> </div><div id="article-index-5">  <p>  Israel and the US conducted military strikes on Iran on February 28, triggering a fresh conflict in West Asia. Iran retaliated with attacks on US military bases in the region and moved to restrict traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil transit route. This has disrupted supplies and pushed up global crude oil prices, raising petrol cost concerns among Indian consumers.</p> </div><div id="article-index-6">  <p>  Phokela said the impact is visible not just in data but also in on-ground behaviour. “You also see anecdotally that there are long lines at petrol stations. There's no shortage of petrol. It's just nervousness,” he said, adding that such anxiety is nudging buyers towards E2W.</p> </div><div id="article-index-7">  <p>  He was categorical about the role of the conflict in driving demand. “If footfalls go up, and nothing else has changed, then it's difficult to attribute it to anything else. So, war has accelerated sales,” he said.</p> </div><div id="article-index-8">  <p>  On whether the trend is sustainable, Phokela said much depends on how the conflict evolves but added that demand momentum typically persists. “Usually we've seen that momentum doesn't reverse… I would put my money on it carrying on,” he said.</p> </div><div id="article-index-9">  <p>  However, the demand surge is beginning to strain supply chains and inventory levels. The company expects dealer stock to fall sharply next month as sales outpace production planning. “Normally, we work on a 20–25 day inventory cycle with our dealers, but I think we'll be much lower next month. Maybe 12–15 days. Retails have jumped sharply,” he said.</p> </div><div id="article-index-10">  <p>  He also flagged potential risks to production if the conflict persists and disrupts supply chains. While the company maintains buffers of critical raw materials, these are limited. “You don't keep buffers for one year… maybe a few days, a month, two months… If this continues, there will be a challenge,” he said.</p> </div><div id="article-index-11">  <p>Ather Energy was the third-largest E2W maker in India in February, behind TVS Motor and Bajaj Auto. Industry data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) showed 111,729 electric two-wheeler retail sales in February, marking a 45 per cent year-on-year increase.</p> </div></div></div></div>

CJET

納斯達克全球汽車指數 - First Trust

<p>由於西亞衝突導致消費者對燃油價格的焦慮加劇，印度電動兩輪車（E2W）的採用率顯著上升，Ather Energy 的首席商務官 Ravneet S Phokela 表示，3 月份的滲透率從前幾個月的 6.5%-7% 上升至 9.7%。衝突改變了消費者的情緒，推動尚未決定的買家轉向 E2W。然而，這一激增正在給供應鏈帶來壓力，預計經銷商庫存下個月將大幅下降。Phokela 指出，儘管需求勢頭通常會持續，但持續的衝突可能會帶來生產風險</p>

Ather 首席商務官 Phokela 表示，戰爭焦慮推動了電動二輪車（E2W）的銷售，滲透率達到 9.7%