Yamaha Motor India is expected to launch the Neo’s electric scooter soon, and here, we’ve listed everything that we anticipate to see here
In April this year, Yamaha showcased two electric scooters – Neo’s and E01 – at a dealers’ meet in India. The Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer is planning to enter the EV market here, and Yamaha is already drawing plans on how to market Neo’s in the Indian market, which is expected to launch here in the near future.
Here, we have listed all the things that we expect from Yamaha’s forthcoming electric scooter for the Indian market.
1. Sleek design
Yamaha Neo’s is quite a handsome scooter – cool yet practical. The front apron and side panels look fairly sleek and stylish, and the long single-piece seat is slightly stepped up. There’s plenty of room on the floorboard and handlebars are placed fairly close to the rider, thus offering a good, comfortable seating position.
2. Features
There are plenty of features available on the scooter, including a fully-digital LCD instrument console (with smartphone connectivity), smart key integration, an all-LED lighting system, alloy wheels, and a 27-litre underseat storage. Neo’s also gets conventional telescopic front forks and a rear monoshock.
3. Different powertrain from the European version
In the European market, Yamaha Neo’s gets two removable battery packs (50.4 V, 19.2 Ah Li-ion batteries), connected to a 2.5 kW electric motor. The scooter offers a claimed range of 70 km on fully charged batteries.
While these figures are not too shabby, the India-spec version could get a different powertrain, likely with a higher riding range, to better compete with the current crop of electric scooters on sale in our market.
4. Expected to be locally manufactured
Eishin Chihana, Chairman of Yamaha Motor India, had stated that India-made ICE scooters are already being exported to select international markets, and he believes that Yamaha could manufacture EVs in India as well, with a focus on exports. Local manufacturing would help Yamaha keep the prices of its electric scooters in check.
5. Expected launch
Yamaha has not revealed the launch window for Neo’s in India. However, as per speculations floating around, the electric scooter could launch next year, as the brand’s first EV for our market. In the European market, it was launched with a price tag of €3,099 (around Rs. 2.58 lakh). The Indian version will be significantly more affordable.