Bajaj Chetak is claimed to have a riding range of 85 km on Sport mode and 95 km on Eco mode in real world conditions
Bajaj Auto finished fourth behind Hero, Honda and TVS in the overall monthly sales chart for two-wheelers as it garnered a total of 1,46,876 units in February 2020 as against 1,86,523 units during the same period last year with year-on-year negative growth of 21.3 per cent. The homegrown manufacturer had the Pulsar 150 as its most sold model as nearly 50,000 units were retailed.
Primarily known for its sporty motorcycles, Bajaj announced its return to producing scooters at the beginning of this year by reviving an evocative nameplate. The Chetak with an electric powertrain marked the first entry of a mainstream brand into the zero-emission scooter space and it is priced at Rs. 1 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune).
The reach of the Chetak EV will be expanded in the coming months as it is currently sold only in Pune and Bengaluru. After decades of absence, the Chetak name returned to the domestic scenes in January 2020 and it is made available in Urbane and Premium variants. The latter costs Rs. 1.15 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune and Bengaluru).
For the Rs. 15,000 increase in price, the Premium variant of the 2020 Bajaj Chetak offers metallic paint schemes, tan seat and metallic coloured wheels alongside front disc brake. The Urbane, on the other hand, uses only drum brake up front and lacks metallic shades. The deliveries of the new generation Chetak have already begun in Pune and about 100 units were sold last month.
Bajaj sells the Chetak with an attractive three years or 50,000 km warranty on the battery pack that is IP67 dust and water proof resistant. It derives energy from a 4.1 kW peak power capable electric motor paired with an automated transmission and it makes 16 Nm of peak torque. The Kick Down Mode supplies more energy when needed. The electric motor works in tandem with Li-ion battery.
The new Chetak is claimed to have a riding range of 95 km on the Eco mode and 85 km on the Sport mode in real world conditions according to the brand. The e-scooter can be charged back up to 100 per cent in about five hours while it takes 60 minutes to reach 25 per cent. As for the design, the eco-friendly Chetak harks back to the past with clean flowing body surfaces.
However, it does not lack of modern features such as horse-shoe shaped LED headlamp, all-digital instrumentation, use of high quality materials, ‘feather touch’ switchgear, smartphone connectivity and so on. For the owners, Bajaj provides one year free subscription for internet data. It enables access to location, charging status and other intuitive features.