One of the things about the two-wheeler electric vehicles market in India is that it is dominated by home-grown players. Hero Electric, Hero MotoCorp, Ather, Simple Energy, Ola, Okinawa. Though they may have global partner, these companies are basically home-made ones. Now a global biggie to set to enter the fray, and will doubtless shake the market.
The Indian subsidiary of the famed Honda Motor, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI), has unveiled its future roadmap for India. And it involves launch of electric vehicles. Parallelly, the company aims to further strengthen its plant in Manesar (Haryana) as a Global Resource Factory for ‘Making in India for the world’. Honda also plans a phase-wise implementation & integration of flex-fuel technology in its product portfolio. Flex-fuels are a blend of petrol and ethanol that are considerably cheaper than the cost of petrol.
Atsushi Ogata, Managing Director, President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India said, "a staggered implementation of flex-fuel technology and multiple EV model introduction in future will lead to an exciting journey ahead."
Electric version of Activa likely in 2023
Honda said it also plans multiple EV model introduction in the coming years while leveraging support from Honda’s other subsidiaries in the country. At present, the company is in its feasibility-study stage for readying its EV model line-up and developing the overall eco-system in India.
The producer of the highest selling scooter Activa in India, Honda is expected to launch the electric version of this vehicle. Media speculation has it that it will launch in 2023, and will come equipped with swappable batteries. Honda may also launch its Benly e, among its early ones in India.
The company has already announced that it has set up a battery-sharing service subsidiary and invested Rs 135 crore in it. Honda has also said it has been conducting demonstration testing of battery sharing for electric tricycle taxies in India. Honda will begin a battery sharing service in India, using the MPP e: later this year. (MPP e: is Honda's mobile power pack.)
On the petrol version vehicles, Honda said entry level motorcycle category continues to have a significant share in total 2-wheelers sales in India. Leveraging this opportunity, Honda said it will introduce a new low-end motorcycle in the commuter segment.
On flex fuel, Honda said with more than a decade’s expertise in the technology globally & over 7 million satisfied customers in Brazil market, it is equipped to make a seamless flex fuel transition for two-wheeler market in India. Once launched, HMSI will become the second brand after India's TVS Motor Company to launch a flex-fuel engine powered motorcycle in India. TVS earlier launched the Apache RTR 200 Fi E100 with a flex-fuel engine.
