Honda’s newest electric scooter on offer, the QC1, has a range of 80km, a top speed of 50kmph, accelerated from 0–40kmph in 9.4 seconds, gets a 1.5kWh battery pack, gets an LCD instrument cluster, and costs Rs 90,000 ex-showroom. The spec sheet looks underwhelming. Story over, review done, right? No.
There is another perspective to look at it. For a city like Bengaluru and most big cities, the fastest one can ride is about 30kmph. The commutes are usually around 40km per day. And most importantly, the lighter the vehicle is, the better. Suddenly, the Honda QC1 makes sense.
Honda QC1 first ride review — What is it?
The Honda QC1 is the company’s take on a no-nonsense electric scooter. It shares most of its bodywork with the Activa e, including most other components such as the mirrors and the headlight unit. Design-wise, the Honda QC1 is minimalistic, with a small tail lamp and no DRL. The scooter lacks any sort of decals as well, apart from a tiny branding at the rear section next to the tail lamp.
The scooter features telescopic front suspension, dual shocks at the rear, drum brakes at both ends, a 12-inch front wheel and a 10-inch rear wheel, LED lighting, and an LCD instrument console. The switchgear is simple — start and ride modes are on the right, and headlight beams and turn signals are on the left. The scooter runs on a 1.5kWh battery pack that can be charged at home.
Honda QC1 first ride review — Is it what it is?
Yes. The moment you take it off stand, it feels light, as it weighs just 89kg. Once you swing a leg over or through it – depending on your choice of mounting the scooter – the next thing you realise is the seat height — 704mm. You immediately realise how approachable the scooter is. Push the start button and once on the move, the acceleration is adequate for a packed city.
The Honda QC1 gets two ride modes – Econ and Standard – and the former has a top speed of 30kmph and the latter, 50kmph. The acceleration and speed are adequate for the city and the QC1 feels right at home. In our test, the scooter ran 36km and still had about 47 percent of the charge left, making it more than sufficient for the city. The brakes, did a good job, but I would have preferred a disc brake at the front.
Also, the LCD instrument console is simple and shows just the necessary data — range, speed, and battery SOC. The lack of a fancy TFT cluster with smartphone connectivity and other features actually turned out to be a delight, keeping the whole experience simple. Charging takes about seven hours to fully juice up from 0 with a 330kW off-board charger.
Honda QC1 first ride review — Who is it for?
While ‘youngsters’ is what comes to mind, I think the Honda QC1 is a sensible scooter for all ages — as a second vehicle. The humble range, sensible speed, lightness, charging port, and 26-litre storage space make it a straightforward scooter for runabouts in the city and for commuting. That said, given the Rs 90,000 price tag ex-showroom and a Honda badge to go along, the QC1 is a sensible choice. I’d say leave the spec sheet aside and ride it first.