With just a few days to go before its launch, Honda 2 Wheelers India has confirmed its first electric scooter for our market will have swappable batteries. In the latest promo, Honda has provided a glimpse at the new electric scooter, showing two of its swappable batteries – named the Honda Power Pack e: – being slotted under the seat of the scooter. The clip also confirms Honda’s maiden electric scooter will have almost no underseat storage space once the batteries slot into place. The Honda Mobile Power Pack e: has a capacity of 1.3 kWh, which means the electric scooter will have a combined capacity of a little over 2.6 kWh, and each battery pack weighs 10.3 kg.
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Interestingly, Honda’s subsidiary, Honda Power Pack Energy India, at present, only has battery swapping stations operational across Karnataka, which means the company’s first electric scooter could also be initially available only in Karnataka, with the countrywide rollout possibly following in a phased manner. Honda operationalised its battery swapping stations in 2022, enabling battery swapping for electric three-wheelers (rickshaws and cargo vehicles). Honda also joined hands with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) to set up swap stations at over 70 of HPCL’s fuel stations in Karnataka, stating ‘the intention to expand to other major cities in a phased manner’ at the time.
A previous video shed light on the colour digital dashboard of Honda’s first electric scooter, which displayed 100 per cent battery state of charge and a range of 104 kilometres in the selected ‘Standard’ ride mode. Also visible was a ‘Sport’ ride mode, call and music controls, navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, a trip meter and a power gauge. The entry variant is expected to get a simple LCD dash.
Other teasers have confirmed the scooter will have a colour digital dash and a direct drive motor.
Previous teasers have also revealed another key detail – the Honda electric scooter will feature a direct drive motor, much like the hot-selling Bajaj Chetak. However, the power output figures remain under wraps for now. We expect it to be close to the outputs of the Chetak and TVS iQube.
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The two-wheeler manufacturer, in 2023, had confirmed it was developing two scooters based on Honda’s ‘Platform E’, a dedicated EV architecture that supports both fixed as well as battery-swap-oriented two-wheelers. Honda has also announced plans to install charging stations across its extensive network of over 6,000 touchpoints.
Over time, selected locations will be transformed into EV-only Workshop ‘E’ outlets, equipped with full-size and mini battery exchangers for swappable battery models, as well as charging cables for fixed battery models. Furthermore, Honda aims to expand its battery-swapping network to include high-traffic areas such as petrol stations, metro stations, and other popular locations.
