Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has finally stepped into the EV market with the debut of the Activa e: and the QC 1 electric scooters. However, the company chose to only unveil the products today, and the price is expected to be announced before January 1, 2025 when the bookings begin followed by deliveries from February 2025 onwards.
Honda Activa e:
For its first electric scooter in India, Honda chose to go with the ‘Activa’ moniker, but there’s nothing on this product that resembles the ICE scooter. The Activa e: gets a modern design with LED illumination all around and a 7-inch TFT display to toggle through the settings. Other features on the e-scooter include Honda RoadSync Duo app for connectivity and H-Smart keyless ignition.
But the highlight of the Honda Activa e: isn’t the design but its powertrain. This e-scooter is equipped with two Honda Mobile Power Pack e: swappable batteries, each of 1.5 kWh capacity, and has a claimed range of 102 km. The Japanese company will be deploying battery-swap stations Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai.
The battery pack is paired with a PMSM motor that delivers 6 kW of peak power and 2.2 kgm of peak torque. Honda claims that the Activa e: can attain a top speed of 80 kph and sprint from 0 to 60 kph in 7.3 seconds. The Activa e: gets three riding modes: Econ, Standard and Sport.
Honda QC1
The QC1 will be more affordable than the Activa e:, and though the design is similar to that of the electric Activa, it misses out on the wider LED tail light and the LED DRL on the top of the handlebar.
Powering the QC1 is a fixed 1.5-kWh battery with a claimed range of 80 km. This battery takes around 4.5 hours to charge from 0 to 80 per cent while a full charge takes almost seven hours.
The Honda QC1 features a hub motor with 1.8 kW of peak power and 7.8 kgm of peak torque which can propel the e-scooter to a top speed of 50 kph. Riders can toggle between Econ and Standard modes through a 5-inch LCD console.
Both the e-scooters have telescopic forks and a monoshock to handle the suspension duties and 12-inch wheels. However, while the Activa features a disc brake at the front, the QC1 settles for a drum brake.
Honda will be manufacturing the Activa e: and the QC1 at the Narsapura plant in Karnataka. Both will come with three years or 50,000-km warranty along with three free services for the first year.
With the unique strategy of swap stations and building an ecosystem around the products, will Honda take the charge in the EV game?
