EXCLUSIVE: The Neo's Will Be Yamaha India’s First Electric Scooter

We had earlier reported about the Yamaha Neo’s European debut. Now, we have confirmation from our sources that the Neo’s will be coming to Indian shores some time next year. Apart from the Neo’s, the Japanese giant is also planning to launch the Yamaha E01 electric scooter in India as well, however a decision regarding it will be taken later.

The Yamaha Neo’s is based on the E02 concept which Yamaha put on display at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. The e-scooter is equipped with a 50.4V, 19.2Ah Lithium-ion battery pack that weighs 8kg itself. If equipped with a single battery, the range is about 38.5km, which can be extended to 68km using a dual battery setup. Charging time with a standard AC charger is about 8 hours. It delivers 2.5kW of power(3.4PS) along with 136Nm of torque in its standard mode whereas the Eco mode gives out 1.58kW of power. The performance figures can be compared to those of a 50cc scooter and mid-spec high-speed electric scooters. Though Yamaha India has plans to launch the international-spec model, we are expecting some improvements in the performance and range before it goes on sale in India.

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With such performance, the Neo’s will go up against the likes of the Hero Electric Optima and Ampere Magnus. Yamaha launched the Neo’s in Europe for EUR 3,005, which is approximately Rs 3 lakh, whereas these e-scooters’ prices lie between about Rs 50,000 and Rs 75,000. As you can see, pricing, performance or even range isn’t the Yamaha electric scooter's strength. The Neo’s will struggle to justify its price tag as it will be competing against the likes of the Ather 450X and Ola S1, both of which not only have a higher range but boast of more features too. Hence, pricing will be the key if Yamaha wants to enter the much sought after EV segment in India. Whether it can manage is something we shall find out next year–until then keep following ZigWheels for more updates.

Image credit - Hari Sankar