World EV Day 2020: Upcoming Electric Two-wheelers From Major Manufacturers

Once the playground for only startups, the EV arena is now seeing big names joining in

• Bajaj and TVS will soon be joined by Honda, Suzuki, KTM and even Husqvarna in the e-scooter arena.
• The Swedish manufacturer will even have an e-bike, along with Royal Enfield.
• A proxy war is also waging between startups like Hero-backed Ather Energy and TVS-backed Ultraviolette Automotive.

Today we celebrate World EV Day 2020 and September 9 is going to become more and more important with time because the importance of EVs is only growing with each passing year. Once populated solely by small startups, the EV marketspace is now seeing more and more major manufacturers getting involved, and India is no different. We’ve already seen big brands like Bajaj and TVS enter the arena with their Chetak and iQube e-scooters respectively, and here’s a list of all the upcoming EVs expected from major manufacturers soon:

Honda

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Honda could once have been accused of being conservative and not paying enough attention to the Indian market, but not anymore. The brand is not only bringing in impressive made-in-India-for-India products like the Hornet 2.0, but also exciting models from its international portfolio like the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade and the 500cc twin-cylinder range.

But more importantly, Honda India is also displaying foresight by working on an India-specific electric scooter. It helps that the brand already has global models like the PCX electric scooter to use as a base, and going by its recent form, we expect big things from the upcoming electric scooter. Swappable batteries are a distinct possibility, and if these design patents are anything to go by, it should be quite a looker too.

Suzuki

Honda isn’t the only Japanese manufacturer developing an EV for India, Suzuki is in the hunt as well. It’s developing an e-scooter of its own and is seemingly ahead of Honda in the race to the showrooms, because its product has already begun testing on our roads this year. The brand’s previous India-specific products like the Gixxer and Access have been mighty impressive, so we expect nothing less from the upcoming e-scooter as well.

Hero

It’s the Indian manufacturers like Bajaj and TVS that have taken the first plunge into the EV space, but the mighty Hero MotoCorp is lagging behind a little. But don’t for one second think that the world’s largest bikemaker is napping when it comes to electrics, oh no. It is already working on its very own e-scooter, the eMaestro. It is based on the Maestro Edge and will be priced under Rs 1 lakh. An official launch was expected before the end of this year, but COVID could have resulted in some setbacks to that schedule.

Hero is also heavily invested in one of India’s most promising EV startups: Ather Energy. The Bengaluru-based company already produces the 450X, arguably India’s most impressive and accomplished electric two-wheeler, and with recent fresh investment from Hero, it will scale up its operation to more and more cities in the future.

KTM

Seemingly unsatisfied with having rolled out its own EV in the form of the Chetak, Bajaj has also struck an agreement with Austrian partner KTM to develop a brand new 48V electric two-wheeler platform. This venture is expected to bear fruit in the form of an upcoming KTM e-scooter that will have a power output of around 10kW (13.6PS), and it will be built right here in India at one of Bajaj’s manufacturing facilities in Pune.

Husqvarna

Another benefactor from this agreement is Swedish manufacturer Husqvarna which is also owned by Pierer Mobility, the parent company of KTM. The less exciting news is that it’s working on its own e-scooter which will likely be quite similar underneath to the KTM product. The more exciting news is that Husqvarna is also working on its very own electric bike which will be based on the same 48V electric platform, and most likely called the ePilen. It will be the brand’s first electric bike, and will also be made right here in Pune. Full details are available here.

Kawasaki

Kawasaki hasn’t expressed any plans for an e-scooter, but it’s quite publicly working on an electric motorcycle based on the Ninja 300. Called the Endeavor, it’s been around for quite some time in concept form, over 5 years in fact, but the brand seems to be becoming more and more serious about putting the bike into production sometime soon. If that does happen, it’s possible that we could get the bike here in India in limited numbers via the CKD route.

Royal Enfield

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This is probably a name you didn’t expect to see on this list, considering the fact that this manufacturer’s best-selling model has remained largely unchanged for over a decade now. But in recent times, Royal Enfield has been working on some far more up-to-date products, and the company has now also revealed that it is working on an electric motorcycle. In fact, it has already built multiple electric prototypes and is now in the process of deciding which segments to target first. This is great news because we know how good RE can be when it sets its mind to something, so we look forward to whatever the manufacturer has to offer in the future.

TVS

While not known to be actively working on any upcoming EVs at the moment, Hosur-based manufacturer TVS is heavily invested in the intriguing startup Ultraviolette Automotive. This company aims to give India its first performance-oriented electric bike in the form of the radical-looking F77 that we had a chance to ride last year.