Affordable Made In India Honda Electric Bike Incoming: Could Be Called Honda Shine e?

Honda recently held a press briefing in Japan on its global motorcycle business initiatives. According to Daiki Mihara - Operating Executive, Head of the Motorcycle and Power Products Electrification Business Unit, Honda will start with an affordable electric commuter bike manufactured at a dedicated electric two-wheeler plant near Bengaluru in Karnataka, slated to be operational in 2028.

More importantly, Mihara also gave us a glimpse of its specs, revealing that it will offer performance equivalent to a 100-odd cc petrol-powered motorcycle, with a rated output of 4kW.

For perspective, the country’s most successful electric bike at the moment, the Revolt RV400 comes with a 4.1kW (peak) motor. It’s evident that Honda is looking to target Revolt’s market share, so expect a similar claimed range, around 100-150km.

What will it be called? How much will it cost?

We believe it could be called the Honda Shine e: as the Shine moniker has a strong reputation of being a fuss-free, frugal commuter, available in both 125cc and 100cc guises. This will also help prospective customers to instantly recognise the brand value and place their trust in Honda’s new products.

While the Shine 125 is the best-selling 125cc bike in India, Honda has not been able to replicate that level of success with the Shine 100. Now, Honda says it “...will also strive to capture the largest market share in the electric motorcycle market in India.” Apart from new EV launches, it also aims to achieve this by leveraging its 6,000-odd dealership network for servicing its products. Expect the pricing to also be fairly competitive (about Rs 1.3 lakh ex-showroom) as Honda is “...striving to sell its electric motorcycle models in the price range where the TOC (Total Ownership Cost) for the three years of ownership will be equivalent to that of ICE models.”

Different paneer dishes, one gravy:

Honda also aims to streamline its upcoming lineup by making a scalable platform with three main modules and an eAxle (Honda’s speak for a swingarm integrated motor). The Front Module consists of the steering head and the downtube, Mid Module is the floorboard, and the Rear Module, which essentially is the subframe. By using different permutations and combinations of these modules, it aims to bring out multiple products. This will help in keeping the development costs in check. Moreover, by setting up a plant near Bengaluru, Honda will also be able to leverage an already well-established supply chain to its advantage, further ensuring cost effectiveness. 

Rest In Power (Pack):

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Honda is also serious about recycling its swappable batteries (AKA Honda Mobile Power Pack e:) for different usages once they run out of optimal capacity. In fact, it has collaborated with Gurugram-based solar company OMC Power, and has come up with an initiative to “...utilize used Honda Mobile Power Pack e: as power feeders which will help people in areas with unstable power supply and off-grid areas in India, supplying power to local stores and schools.”

Sure, implementing a large scale swappable battery network may be extremely resource intensive, not to mention high infrastructure costs. However, Honda seems to have a long term life cycle plan for its battery packs, right from when it’s optimal to its end of life. This will help the brand recoup part of the expenses it has made to set up the infrastructure. Moreover, this will also generate recurring revenue as vehicles with swappable batteries will essentially become a form of transportation as a service with an affordable entry point in terms of cost. In the future, Honda also plans to “...build a recycling-oriented/circular value chain, which includes the recycling of precious metals and other materials.” A manufacturer having concrete plans to recycle its own battery packs will also put less pressure on third party battery recyclers in the country. It also eliminates the probability of improper disposal by some less-reputed recyclers, which have a serious impact on the environment. 

Swappable Or Fixed Battery?

Honda may use a similar strategy as its electric scooter range by introducing the electric bike with both swappable and fixed batteries. The Japanese bike maker is all set to commence deliveries of its electric scooters this month, and has already set up several swap stations in Bengaluru and Delhi, with the former having a much denser network (as of writing this article). Swap stations in Mumbai are also planned. If Honda makes an electric bike with a fixed battery, it will be able to package it better, possibly offering better range. It’s just a matter of time before we get to know the actual details. The planned launch timeline is still three years away, which is reasonably long enough for Honda to learn about the usage patterns once its electric scooters hit the streets. 

Zig Says:

The Indian electric motorcycle is still fledgling with only Revolt catering in the 1 lakh-odd rupee segment. While Ola Electric has also been aggressively expanding its business with a slew of electric motorcycle launches, Honda’s advantage will be its well-established presence and long-term understanding of the Indian market, Japanese precision engineering that ensures consistency in its products, be it features or vehicle dynamics. Honda may not offer something with features that razzle-dazzle, but expect its upcoming electric bike to offer a consistent range and usable features. The company plans to have 30 EVs globally by 2030. 13 models are already out and about, so it seems the brand is having a steady pace of expansion to achieve its target of 4 million unit sales globally by 2030.