The electric scooter market has picked up in India and over time, the big OEMs, who entered the segment late, have taken over from startups like Ola Electric. However, one manufacturer, who leads scooter sales in India, is late for the segment — Honda. The Japanese giant has entered the market with two offerings, the Activa e the QC1.
Honda Activa e — What’s unique about it?
The Activa e, unlike its competitors such as the Ather Rizta, Ola S1, Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube, and the Hero Vida V2, comes with a swappable battery pack only. This has prompted Honda to setup a battery swap infrastructure in three cities – Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi – where sales will be concentrated initially.
The Honda Activa e houses two 1.5kWh battery packs under the seat, leaving no room for storage, while all its competitors boast storage space as an USP. With a combined battery pack of 3kWh, the Activa e promises a range of 102km, with a 0-40kmph acceleration of 7.2 seconds and a top speed of 80kmph. The range and top speed is in the ballpark of its competitors, but the acceleration is slower than most.
On the features front, the Activa e gets telescopic forks, a monoshock at the rear, a disc brake at the front and a drum brake at the rear, alloy wheels, and a TFT instrument cluster with a host of smart features. On the features front, the Activa e is on par.
Honda QC1 — What makes it stand out?
The Honda QC1 is targeted more towards youngsters, with a slimmer profile, drum brakes at both ends, an LCD instrument cluster, and more. The Honda QC1 comes with a fixed 1.5kWh battery pack, which can be charged regularly. The battery pack takes six hours and fifty minutes to charge from 0–100 percent. That said, Honda claims a range of 80km with the QC1, while it can accelerate from 0–40kmph in 9.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 50kmph.
Honda has announced bookings for both scooters. The Honda Activa e can be booked in select dealerships in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi, while the Honda QC1 can be booked in select dealerships in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chandigarh. Deliveries for both scooters will begin in February 2025.
