Honda India will announce plans for its first electric scooter on March 29 while TVS’ all-new model is expected to arrive in the near future
The electric two-wheeler segment is witnessing plenty of action in recent years and the arrival of new start-ups like Ola Electric and Ather Energy has helped in increasing the competition. Over the next couple of years, mainstream brands will hop onto the scene to leverage the potential of the segment and the competition will only intensify.
1. TVS Electric Scooter:
TVS Motor Company’s only EV offering currently is the iQube and the brand’s CEO has already expressed his plans to expand the lineup across different segments over the next year and a half. The upcoming range of new electrified TVS scooters will have power figures between 5 kW and 25 kW. The iQube is equipped with a hub motor which is not ideal for power outputs over 5 kW.
Thus, the Hosur-based manufacturer will more likely use an all-new powertrain in its future applications and a patent filing has surfaced online giving us more details. It indicates the presence of a new mid-mounted electric motor transferring power to the rear wheel via a transmission in the casing that essentially forms the swingarm.
The drive gear placed at the front end of the casing and the driven gear on the other end are connected by an endless transmission drive according to TVS and it could be a belt or a chain drive. The electric motor and rear wheel will rotate at different speeds. The setup could find its way into an all-new electric scooter coming out in the near future.
2. Honda Activa Electric:
Honda will announce plans for its first electric scooter in India on March 29 and what appears to be the patent filings of it have appeared on the internet. The patents range from electric motors, chargers and controllers to battery packs. While the drawings give a glimpse of a possible outline of the e-scooter, it can also be seen that it will feature a fixed battery pack underneath the floorboard.
The hub motor is positioned at the rear. The Japanese manufacturer could also be working on a removable battery pack as Honda plans to use such technology for its future models. Initially, the electric scooter may only target B2B customers and the design draws plenty of inspiration from the existing Activa 6G.