While electric vehicles are the need of the hour, it is the relatively unknown, and small companies putting their hands up and coming up with products that will help bring both commutation costs and pollution levels down.
We’ve got companies Ather, Ola, Simple, Ampere and Bounce Infinity, etc., leading the path instead of conventional brands like Honda or Suzuki. These companies are totally missing from the scene and are still busy churning out ICE-powered two-wheelers in the country.
That said, we recently heard rumblings that Honda is testing for a commercial electric scooter and also may plan to launch a consumer end electric two-wheeler sometime next year. However, there is nothing concrete yet.
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The Japanese automaker has made the first significant announcement that can be considered its stepping stone into the electric vehicle industry in the country. The company has said that it has set up a battery-sharing service subsidiary and invested a substantial sum of Rs. 135 crores in it.
Christened as Honda Power Pack Energy India Pvt Ltd, this arm of Honda motors will provide battery sharing service for smaller electric vehicles and help boost EV adoption in the country. Honda’s new subsidiary will also provide technical support to OEMs.
To explain this in simpler words, Honda will help set up battery swapping stations across various locations. The company plans to start this service for battery-powered auto-rickshaws from the first half of 2022, starting with Bengaluru.
Electric auto-rickshaws (E-auto) owners who have a subscription to this service will be able to drive to the nearest swapping station and exchange the batteries with fully charged ones without waiting at a charging station.
The company also plans to work closely with OEM’s who wish to integrate Honda’s battery in their vehicles. The company will provide them with the technical know-how and information about the interface. Honda has said that these batteries will be made locally in India and help convert last-mile connectivity from ICE to zero-emission vehicles.
That said, while this is indeed a welcome move from Honda, however, for a company that already has got a massive infrastructure in place and multiple electric vehicles, including both two-wheelers and four-wheelers available in the global market, it is high time that the company switch to green mobility in India.
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