Honda Confirms Electric Two-wheeler For India

In the last few years, electric mobility has witnessed a massive boost in India. From new players like Ather Energy, Simple Energy and Ola Electric to established brands like Bajaj, TVS and more recently, Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp, many has stepped into the EV business. The latest to join the bandwagon is Honda, which will bring out its first electric two-wheeler in the next financial year.

In a PTI report, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India president Atsushi Ogata mentioned that Honda has the know-how of EV technology since the last several decades and hence, they are considering EVs for our market.

• Jawa Is Working On A Honda CB350RS Rival
• New TVS Electric Vehicles Are Coming Soon
• TVS iQube Electric vs BS6 Jupiter ZX Disc: Road Test Review

In June this year, a Honda Benly e electric scooter was spotted testing at the ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) facility in Pune. While this may not be the product that the Japanese brand will launch in India, it hints at a pretty important development.

To curb range anxiety, having a good charging infrastructure is a must. Now, the Benly e is a commercial scooter, but the highlight of the product is the removable battery pack. Honda could be testing the feasibility of battery swapping technology for the Indian market. In fact, the brand has now registered a new subsidiary under the name of Honda Power Pack Energy India Private Limited. Before we get Honda's e-scooter, the Japanese bikemaker will be running a pilot programme for three-wheelers starting with Bengaluru in 2022.

So, is Honda going to start its onslaught with a commercial e-scooter? We don’t think so. Two decades ago, the Japanese bikemaker brought in a revolution with the Activa, which went on to become the highest-selling scooter in the country. We reckon Honda might cash in on the Activa monicker’s popularity and call it the Activa E.

Honda is likely to rely heavily on localisation to price the product competitively. While it may use some learnings from the Benly e or the PCX Electric it is likely to be an all-new product, unique to our market. Team Red may even share some components with the existing scooters to help keep the price in check.

Honda’s first electric two-wheeler will lock horns with the likes of the TVS iQube Electric, Bajaj Chetak, Ather and upcoming products such as the Suzuki Burgman Electric and Hero’s electric scooter. While we are yet to find out what Honda is planning for the Indian market, we now know that the Japanese brand has big plans for our market.