Honda’s New Electric Scooter Unveiled: Will It Come To India?

Honda unveiled their new EV, the Honda EM1 e: in Europe and it’s the same EV of theirs sold in China as the Honda U-Go. Read on to find out more and what Honda has in store for the electric two-wheeler market in India.

Honda is expected to launch the electric scooter by September but, will not be selling the EM1 e: for the public to buy. Instead, it will be released to be rented, leased or acquired on a subscription basis.

The EM1 e: can only reach a top speed of 45km/h and can only travel 41.3km on a single charge. This is probably why Honda opted not to outright sell the vehicle as it could be quite pricey for what it delivers.

Moving to whether the EM1 e: could be seen in India. In short, no. Honda has come up with an all-new platform under Project Vidyut, called platform E. We can only expect the launch of these e-scooters in Financial Year 2024, from April 2024 to March 2025.

The first two products we will see under this platform will be a mid-range EV having a fixed battery, whereas the other will use Honda’s Mobile Power Pack which incorproates the use of a changeable battery.

With this, we can expect Honda’s top-end e-scooter to target the likes of the Ather 450X and Ola S1 Pro by giving the users a class-topping range of 150-200km on a single charge. Also on the feature front, we could see a touch-screen infotainment system, dual-channel ABS, CBS, IP-67 rated battery, and different ride modes to choose from.

Coming to their mid-range scooters, it is expected that they will compete with the Ola S1, Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube. We expect a range between 75-100km on a single charge in this class of e-scooters. As honda is known for giving impeccable range for their fuel-run vehicles, we hope to see the same with their electric two-wheelers.

We think Honda will launch their new range of e-scooters in India keeping in mind some of their best selling ICE scooters such as the Activa, Dio and the Grazia. Later, we expect them to move to the e-motorcycles as that, too, is a booming industry.

Also, Honda had made notice of their new manufacturing plant, Factory E. This factory will primarily be used for the EV maket in Narsapura, Karnataka. By the year 2023, we can expect over one million electric two-wheelers sporting the Honda badging coming out of this factory.

Thoughts On The Honda EM1 e: And Honda’s Plans Of Bringing Electric To India

The Honda EM1 e: is the Honda U-Go with a different name. They have been smart by releasing this bike on a subscription basis as they’re showing the public we’ll get the most value for money. With the rise of popularity among e-scooters, they may have just hit the jackpot by doing what they did.

Honda definitely thought of a proper game plan to hit the Indian market with their EVs, and take over that front as well. With Project Vidyut set to get launched soon, the EV industry will thrive further with one of the most esteemed companies to join the fight.

Thoughts On The Honda EM1 e: And Honda’s Plans Of Bringing Electric To India

CAR'S NEWS RELATED

OTHER CAR NEWS