At this point, it’s very clear that electric vehicles are the way of the future. Almost all automobile, motorbike, and bicycle manufacturers have invested extensively in electrifying their platforms, and some have even mass-marketed some of their electric-powered vehicles around the world. Needless to say, technology is progressing at a breakneck pace, and EVs are becoming increasingly appealing.
When you apply the possibilities of electric mobility in the great scheme of things to an urban context, you get a solution that pretty much checks all the boxes. As a result, it’s no wonder that metropolitan streets in Europe and Asia are growing quieter and cleaner as electric bicycles, scooters, and vehicles proliferate. Sure, gas-powered vehicles are here to stay, but many people have either gone electric or supplemented their existing fleet with one or two LEVs (lightweight electric vehicles).
Regardless, several automakers, like Honda, have announced plans for specific markets surrounding the mass adoption of EVs. HMSI, or Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, has already defined three EV categories in which it intends to operate in the Indian market.
In an exclusive report published by the Indian automotive publication Car and Bike, Atsushi Ogata, president and managing director of HMSI, stated that the company intends to release vehicles in the EB (electric bike), EM (electric moped), and EV (electric vehicle) categories, with the names pretty self-explanatory. More precisely, Honda sees the most promise in the electric moped category, which translates to the 100cc to 125cc range of commuter scooters in ICE lingo. According to Car and Bike, Honda wants to debut an electric moped in the Indian market as early as April 2023.
We previously revealed that Honda had ambitious EV intentions for the Indian market. Now it appears that these intentions are coming to fulfilment. Needless to say, if Honda releases a cheap electric moped with great features, cars like the highly popular Ola S1 and Ather 450X will face fierce competition. Having said that, Honda is also working on a high-speed electric motorcycle, which it expects to introduce with its future electric moped. Similarly, Honda previously debuted the U-GO electric scooter in China; perhaps the India-specific model will share some features with it.
