2020 Bajaj Chetak will go on sale in January in Pune before expanding to other cities; production already began
After nearly a decade of absence, Bajaj Auto has announced its re-entry into the scooter space with the returning Chetak. The homegrown manufacturer commenced the production of the Chetak Electric on September 25, 2019 and it will be launched in January 2020 with deliveries beginning on the same month. It is expected to be priced around Rs. 1.25 lakh (on-road).
If you think paying that price for a scooter is a lot, the underpinnings, technology implemented and its electrified nature will make you reconsider your decision. Bajaj is the first mainstream brand to have stepped foot directly into the electric space and more manufacturers will definitely follow. The pricing of the e-scooters will be on a slightly higher side inevitably, at least initially.
Bajaj Chetak Electric Walkaround Video:
Following launch in Pune, Bajaj will head over to Bengaluru for the market study before expanding the Chetak’s reach to other major cities within the country. The Chetak comes equipped with a 4 kW electric motor and IP67 certified Li-ion battery pack with NCA cells and it can be charged via regular 5-15 Amp socket used at home as well.
Bajaj is offering Eco and Sport riding modes with the Chetak and they have real-world range figures of 95 km and 85 km respectively while the ARAI-certified range will be higher.
For the ease of charging, it has an in-built charger but no DC fast charging facility has been announced. The charging time is said to be around five hours while a mobile home charging station can be bought at an extra cost.
The cast aluminium swingarm-mounted traction motor sends power to the rear through an automatic transmission but the all-digital instrument cluster has ‘N’ neutral light and the switchgear has different intriguing selections like R, M and D. The 2020 Bajaj Chetak is a connected scooter and it does have a reverse mode.
It is suspended on a single-sided trailing arm and monoshock rear and runs on 12-inch wheels. The regenerative braking system will help in additional range while the Battery Management System controls seamless charging and discharging according to Bajaj.
The design is pure retro with smooth flowing body panels coupled with modern styling cues like the horseshoe-shaped LED headlamp and LED blinkers. The riding position is pretty upright just as in the old Chetak and to know more about the upcoming model, check our detailed video linked above.