Breaking: Honda's Made-In-India Activa Electric Is Right On Track

We have known for a while that Honda is extremely serious about throwing its hat in the ring and competing aggressively in the mushrooming EV game. At a recent event it discussed its step-by-step approach to get the job done which includes a dedicated factory located in Karnataka. Here’s everything you need to know.  

Relive the Activa’s electrifying success:

To begin with, Honda will introduce two new products including a “mid-range” electric vehicle by FY2024 (next year), and both products will be built on a brand new platform called ‘Platform-E’. It has stated that one product will be a fixed battery type EV and the other will feature battery swapping tech.

The latter is likely to be the Honda Activa Electric. That’s because it’s only logical for the Japanese brand to first cash in on the success of the Activa in India. In fact a recent design patent filed by Honda revealed that its upcoming e-scooter will get a swingarm-mounted motor, similar to the Hero Vida V1 (which features swappable batteries). This will be helpful in easy maintenance, especially when it comes to punctures in the rear wheel.

Ground Zero:

Ground zero for Honda’s India EV project will be handled at a dedicated EV manufacturing facility in Narsapura, Karnataka. The Japanese marquee has also stated that, at its full potential, this facility will manufacture up to ten lakh units a year. It plans on reaching this target by 2023. To give you a perspective, Ather has a manufacturing capacity of four lakh units a year at the moment, and that number will rise up to 14 lakh units (in total) once its third facility is up and running.

Furthermore, it will be heavily localising most electrical products like the motor, battery, power control unit, and charger. This should make Honda e-scooters and e-bikes eligible for state and center level subsidies (if they are still around by then). However, the FAME II subsidies were already extended by two years, and will end by March 31, 2024. If the subsidies are not extended, then Honda will have to develop its EVs that are cost-effective, despite not being dependent on subsidies.    

• Check out TVS iQube Price

• Honda Activa E India Launch Confirmed

• Read More Detail On Honda’s Upcoming Electric Scooter

A full ecosystem:  

From making key partnerships with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for battery swapping stations to now discussing the prospect of equipping nearly 6,000 dealerships with charging facilities., the bikemaker really has come a long way. In fact, it has also said that battery swapping solutions will be provided at petrol pumps, metro stations and other locations across India.

Lastly, Honda will also be parallelly working on making its entire portfolio of products OBD2 compliant along with making an active push for E20 flex fuel technology by the first half of 2024. 

With major manufacturers like Hero MotoCorp and TVS now in the game with strong products on offer like the Vida V1 and iQube, it’s time for Honda to make a move. Knowing what we know of Honda, it would rather be late to the party with its EVs than than rush into things.