Honda will launch its first electric two-wheeler in India next fiscal, said HMSI president, Atsushi Ogata in a recent interaction
The two-wheeler industry has seen the arrival of many EV startups in recent times such as Ola, Simple and Ather and brands like Revolt and Tork are betting big on electric motorcycles as well. In the coming years, the mainstream manufacturers will certainly make a strong impact amidst TVS Motor Company and Bajaj Auto having already entered the space.
The EV segment will face a big boom in the years to come as leading two-wheeler companies like Hero MotoCorp and Honda are readying zero-emission models. The first electric scooter from Hero MotoCorp is expected sometime this year while people looking to buy an electrified Honda may not have to wait for long as Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) president, Atsushi Ogata, confirmed the launch timeline in a recent interview.
He said that Honda will bring in an electric two-wheeler within the next financial year (April 2022 to March 2023 period) and it will reportedly be based on the Activa. In 2021, Honda was spotted testing the Benly e business-based electric scooter in India but no official information on whether it will launch in India or not is available yet.
With the Honda Activa currently in its sixth generation as the indomitable scooter segment leader, the Japanese manufacturer could use the momentum to launch an electric scooter based on the Activa or just utilise the popularity of the brand moniker. It is expected to feature a swappable battery technology for the convenience of the owners.
As the state and central governments push for eco-friendly vehicles and the market has a few swappable battery-equipped electric two-wheelers already, Honda could introduce an electric scooter to compete against Ola S1 Pro, Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube and possibly the upcoming electric scooter from Suzuki based on the Burgman Street.
Husqvarna Vektorr concept based electric scooter has been spied quite a few times testing on public roads while an updated version of the iQube could also be in the works for the near future. Yamaha will also jump on the bandwagon as an electric scooter platform is said to be in the development as well.