Honda is called the Scooter King of India and this fame can be mostly attributed to a single product, Honda Activa. The Activa is the most popular scooter of India and the sales numbers scream its popularity as more than two and a half lakh Activas are sold every month in the country. But, while most of the mass-market players like Bajaj and TVS have already entered the EV space, Honda despite being the largest scooter manufacturer of the country is yet to do so. However, things are going to change now as the Japanese two-wheeler maker has patented the Honda PCX Electric Scooter in India. So, is it launching soon? That's what we are gonna find in this article.
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The Honda PCX Electric Scooter is sold in a lot of overseas markets and this electric scooter was also showcased in India at the 2018 Auto Expo. Honda showcased it at the Expo to gauge the market interest as they will be launching an electric scooter in India in the near future. However, post that there were no concrete reports of its India launch until now. But, recently the Honda PCX Electric Scooter has been patented in India raising speculations about its launch in the country once again. The patent images of the scooter have been filed in March 2020.
First of all, if we look at the leaked patent images, it clearly hints the design language of a maxi-scooter. The images hint that possibly there are two removable battery packs placed under the seat and some equipment placed within the floorboard and tunnel that bear resemblance to microcontrollers and circuit boards. (refer to imprints 101,102 & 325, 320, 323,324 on the below image). With the help of such a battery-pack arrangement, Honda is trying to centralise the mass of the scooter to enhance its handling abilities.
Another patent image shows that it gets a swingarm-mounted AC electric motor (refer to imprint 30 on the below image). This electric powerplant is similar to the one which is seen on the PCX Electric and the PCX Electric churns out 5.6 PS of power at 5500 RPM and 18 Nm of torque right from the word go. The patent images hint that the scooter gets a single-piece seat which looks very comfortable. It also features a telescopic fork at the front and twin shock-absorbers at the rear and rides on large 14-inch wheels. Overall, the maxi design of the scooter does look good.
Now talking about the launch of the PCX Electric in the Indian market. So while everything clearly hints that the patented scooter is the Honda PCX Electric, this E-scooter will not be launched in India. In January 2020, at the launch of the Honda Activa 6G, Honda has officially confirmed that they will be getting into the EV space of the country but not with the PCX Electric as this maxi-scooter doesnt fit well in a price-sensitive market like ours.
Instead, Honda will be developing an all-new electric scooter especially crafted for the Indian market. Honda has previously said that they will be bringing an electric two-wheeler in India for testing purposes and the patenting of the PCX Electric must be for the very same reason. The Japanese two-wheeler maker has previously also filed patents of several global models in India, most of which never made their way to our shores.
It is expected that Honda will be soon launching an electric scooter in India that might borrow some features and new technologies from the PCX Electric. And if everything goes smoothly, we might get to see the India-specific Honda-badged electric scooter in India by the end of 2021. Also, it won't be a surprise if Honda names its scooter as Activa Electric considering the huge popularity of the Activa nameplate.
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What are your opinions and guesses on the upcoming Honda Electric Scooter? Do share with us in the comments below.
