Opinion: Honda Activa Electric Launch Confirmed, Here’s What To Expect

It’s no secret that Honda is developing an electric scooter for the Indian market. The Japanese two-wheeler giant had announced that it will be entering the emerging EV two-wheeler space a few years ago but till now there has been no development. In fact, none of the Japanese manufacturers have launched an electric scooter while all major Indian brands are present in this segment. However, at the recently concluded 2024 SIAM Annual Convention, Honda officials confirmed that the electric scooter will be unveiled soon. Here’s our expectations from the upcoming Honda scooter.

Honda currently has only one production electric scooter in its global portfolio, the EM1. The Honda EM1 pales in comparison to the electric scooters present in our market as it has a top speed of 45 kmph and a range of just 41 km. To make matters worse, it is priced at ₹5.49 lakh in the United Kingdom and clearly makes no sense for the Indian market. However, at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, Honda showcased the SC e: Concept, which not only had larger proportions but also seemed to pack a larger battery pack for better performance and speed. 

The Honda electric scooter will be based on a new platform but is likely to carry the Activa moniker. The Honda Activa electric might be styled similar to its ICE sibling to cash-in on its popularity. The Japanese manufacturer has already been testing its removable batteries for a couple of years in our country and the Activa Electric will feature the same technology, something similar to the Hero Vida V1, mere coincidence! Much like the Vida V1, the Honda electric scooter might feature two removable batteries and as we saw on the SC e: Concept, this arrangement could affect underseat storage. How Honda manages to tackle this challenge remains to be seen.

Also Read: Why India Manufactures The Best Electric Scooters Globally

Having removable batteries is a boon as one can home charge the batteries and not be dependent on a typical charging station. In terms of performance, the Honda Activa Electric wouldn’t be performance-focused as it will be positioned as a family scooter. So expect performance to be on similar lines as the Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube. The other big question will be range as the Honda electric scooter will need to deliver around 100 km of real-world range, more than double of what the EM1 manages. On the features front, we expect Honda to keep things simple with a digital display, a few connected features but it wouldn’t be as loaded as the Ola S1 Pro or even the Ather 450.

Honda already has set-up a dedicated line for the upcoming Activa Electric at its Karnataka plant and also has plans for a dedicated EV manufacturing line at its Gujarat facility. The Japanese giant plans to start manufacturing the Activa electric scooter at the Karnanta manufacturing facility by December, 2024. We expect the Honda Activa Electric to be unveiled by late 2024 followed by an official launch by March 2025. Legacy brands have already started eating into the market share of the EV startups and with the entry of Honda, action and competition in the Indian electric two-wheeler market will increase further.