By 
- Honda Active EV seems to be a little more than a year away from its India launch
- Likely to have rather modest top speed and range
An interesting development that took place on the side-lines of the launch of the Activa H is the revelation of the electric version’s launch date. Addressing media, MD and CEO Atsushi Ogata revealed the company’s EV roadmap. As per the executive, the Honda Activa Electric will launch in India in Q1, 2024.
- Honda Activa Electric looks all set for its India debut by March 2024.
- Honda Activa Electric Launch by March 2024
Speaking at the event, Ogata said, “We are locally developing our electric two-wheelers in close coordination with Honda’s teams in Japan, and we aim to be ready with the first scooter around the same time next year – definitely within FY 2023-’24. Customers with limited running will opt for an Activa EV, but they would still want to own an ICE Activa for travelling longer distances.”
The electric Activa will become the first EV from Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India. This is hardly surprising seeing the popularity of the top-selling automatic scooter. First launched in May 1999, the two-wheeler has seen several generations and revised iterations. Its popularity can be gauged by the fact that it has often outsold most of its rivals put together. The all-electric version is sure to benefit from this legacy and even pave way for more EVs from HMSI.
The second electric scooter from Honda is likely to be based on an all-new platform and offer a swappable battery feature. It would also offer a stronger performance instead of playing second fiddle to an ICE sibling. “For the last few years, it was not an urgent matter for the company to invest into an EV programme from a business point of view, but with market expectations growing, we are going to get into the EV segment next year,” Ogata said.
Activa EV Range and Top Speed
From the looks of it, the Honda Activa Electric won’t set new benchmarks in the aspects of range and top speed. Instead, it will be focussed more on offering affordable small-distance commutes. In all likelihood, it would have a range of around 100 km along with a top speed of less than 60 kmph. This approach would help the two-wheeler giant price its offering more competitively. A smaller battery would even translate into lower downtime owing to faster charging times.
