Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India has introduced its first electric scooters in the Indian market: the Activa e: and QC1. The Activa: e uses a swappable battery setup, while the QC1 has a fixed battery setup and relies on a charging cable to gain power. These are the Japanese automaker's 12th and 13th electric vehicles in the global market and contribute to the manufacturer's goal of launching 30 EVs globally.
Earlier, the brand announced plans to achieve carbon neutrality in all of its products while simultaneously moving toward the same goal in corporate activities in 2050. To further this goal, the brand will also work on electrifying motorcycles. The introduction of Activa e: and QC1 are the first models in the country to achieve this goal. Here are all the details of the new electric scooters.
Honda Activa e
Honda Activa e comes as a completely new model carrying forward the name of the popular ICE scooter. It not only takes the name of the scooter but also the body and frame of its ICE counterpart. However, the styling of the EV is completely different, following a rather minimalistic approach. This can be seen in the form of a slightly different look for the apron of the EV housing the LED headlamp with turn indicators on either side. The brand has added an LED DRL on the head of the vehicle. It seems to have a small floorboard with a long seat. The rear end of the bike has the "Activa e:" badge integrated into the tail lamp unit.
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Under the seat, the Activa e: gets a swappable battery setup housing two 1.5 kWh batteries. The power from these units is transferred to a wheel-side electric motor, which is rated to have a power output of 4.2 kW (5.6 bhp) of power. This output can be increased to a maximum of 6.0 kW (8 bhp). All of this can contribute to offering a range of 102 km on a single charge. The brand is also offering three riding modes: Standard, Sport, and Econ.
Honda QC1
The QC1 will be launched exclusively for the Indian market in the spring of 2025. Designed for short-distance travel, the scooter has design similarities with the Activa e: this can be seen in the form of the apron and the side panels of the vehicle. However, the head of the scooter is different with the absence of LED DRL.
The list of differences between QC1 and Activa e: further extends in the form of the powertrain setup. The QC1 comes with a fixed 1.5 kWh battery pack. It gets a dedicated charger that can be connected to the scooter via a socket placed over the floorboard. The power from the batter is transferred to the compact in-wheel motor, which is rated to have a power output of 1.2 kW (1.6 bhp) and 1.8 kW (2.4 bhp). All of this makes the EV capable of offering a range of 80 km.
The QC1 gets a 5-inch LCD instrument panel, which helps the rider interact with the EV by displaying crucial information. The EV also offers features like under-seat storage, USB Type-C socket, and more.