We could say Honda’s late to the show, however, are they really? The launch of the new Honda Activa e sparks a ton of questions — from the delay to the lack of storage space and even the whole idea behind the battery-swapping approach. So having finally ridden the new Honda Activa e, here’s what we understand and what you need to know.
Honda Activa e first ride review: An overview
The Honda Activa e shares a lot in common with its more affordable sibling, the Honda QC1. The front panel, fenders, and headlight are the same, however, the DRL and the more elaborate design give the Activa e a more premium look. The scooter is also larger than the QC1 with a large seat, while also tipping the scale at 119kg.
Swing a leg over and the saddle height is approachable, while the overall ergonomics showcase its friendly family nature. The Activa e gets a disc brake at the front and the scooter itself is suspended by telescopic forks and an off-set monoshock at the rear. The overall fit and finish of the Activa e is good and the scooter feels premium.
Honda Activa e first ride review: Living with it
The Honda Activa e gets two swappable 1.5kWh batteries that cannot be charged at home. This raises two questions — how is the range and how easy is it to find a swapping station? Honda claims a range of 102km on a full charge, however, in real-world conditions, we were able to do around 70km comfortably, while in Standard and Sport modes.
Honda has taken a unique approach with its ride modes. Instead of cutting off the top speed in each mode – Econ, Standard, and Sport – Honda has let the top speed be the same — 80 to 88kmph. However, Honda has changed the acceleration in each mode to get to the top speed. Econ feels slow, adequate for a relaxed city commute, while Standard is what many would use. The acceleration is adequate for a brisk commute and okay on long empty roads as well.
In Sport mode, the Honda Active e is quick, giving enough juice to overtake vehicles that are fast. However, there was a glitch — the range indicated on the scooter did not change as per modes and Honda says that it is something that will be looked into at the earliest.
Moving on to how swapping now — Honda says that it has set up around 200 stations in Bengaluru alone and by the looks of it, there are plenty in my own experience. Honda says that there is one station every five 5km, and all one has to do is direct oneself to the closest point and swap out the battery, which takes about two minutes. This has solved the long waiting issues between charges while also killing range anxiety and practically letting the rider use the Sport model all the time. Sounds tempting.
Honda Activa e first ride review: The convinienece aspect
On a day-to-day basis, the Activa e has you covered. The top-spec Honda RoadSync Duo variant gets a 7-inch TFT instrument console that is crisp and easy to read. This offers phone connectivity as well and uses the phone hotspot to stay connected to offer navigation, call alerts and other options. The dash has good UI/UX, and the dedicated buttons on the left switchgear make it easy to use and one quickly gets accustomed to it.
This is the biggest difference between the two variants of the new Honda Activa e, and the base variant gets a more humble 5-inch TFT dash without all the frills. They get the same battery pack, motor, and all other cycling parts, while also costing considerably less.
Honda Activa e first ride review: Something to consider
The battery-swapping procedure needs a subscription and Honda offers two plans — Basic and Advanced. The former costs Rs 1,999 + GST per month and allows access to 35kWh per month, translating to around 40km per day. The latter offers 87kWh per month, calculating approximately 100km a day and costs Rs 3,599 + GST a month. Let’s look at the basic plan — this costs Rs 24,000 a year and when looking at ICEs, this is a lot of petrol for a scooter.
What Honda should rather do is instead of having an expiry date for the units of current used, it should allow the rider to pay Rs 1,999 +GST for 35kWh and let the rider decide when and how to use it — a month, or for three, and then let the user pay another Rs 1,999 +GST once the usage is over.
Honda Activa e first ride review: Should you buy one?
The answer depends. If you’re in a city like Bengaluru where the battery stations are set up and sorted, and you don’t need space in the boot, why not? There is no tension of charging or having to wait or run cables around the house. If Honda rethinks its subscription plans, the Honda Activa e makes a lovely scooter for the city. However, with Honda’s launch strategy for the Activa e, which is limited to three cities as of now, there is a long way to go for the company to make an impact like its competition.
