- Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India plans to launch ten new electric two-wheelers over the next decade, covering a range of powertrains, speed categories, and body types, both fixed and swappable configurations.
- Honda’s EV strategy, developed after a two-year investigation, includes two ongoing projects, codenamed GJNA and K4BA, with the Activa Electric (fixed battery) and a moped with a swappable battery expected to launch in March and September 2024, respectively.
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, the country’s second-largest two-wheeler manufacturer, is planning to introduce ten electric two-wheelers over the next decade, catering to the entire spectrum of zero-emission vehicles in the future.
Honda’s upcoming electric vehicles: Specifications
According to several sources, the plan is to offer a variety of powertrains, speed categories, and body types. Honda’s EV strategy was developed after a two-year investigation. The developed products will be available in both fixed and swappable configurations.
Work on two projects, codenamed GJNA and K4BA, has already begun to kickstart the EV game plan. One of them is the Activa Electric, which will be built with a fixed battery, and the other is a moped with a swappable battery.
Honda is one of the few major mainstream players yet to enter the EV market in 2024, but it may be the first Japanese two-wheeler brand to do so.
Honda Motorcycle’s first EV (likely the Activa electric) will hit the road in March 2024, followed by another model in September 2024. Both of these models have a potential market of half a million units over the course of three years. As more models are introduced until 2026-2027, the company hopes to reach a volume of close to a million units, according to a source quoted by our sister publication Autocar Professional on Honda’s EV strategy.
Honda anticipates producing 1-1.5 lakh units of both models in the first year. In the mainstream market, the company expects a strong double-digit increase to around 5 million units in FY24.
Honda Power Pack Energy India Private Limited (HEID) has already established a base in Bengaluru to support swappable battery alternatives. The swappable solutions are currently available to the three-wheeler industry; however, the in-house Power pack business will eventually help Honda’s EV business expand. Honda was, in fact, open to last-mile mobility alliances.
Honda launched the battery swapping service in November 2021 to support electric auto rickshaws. HEID began with a network of 70 swapping stations in Bengaluru and plans to expand to other cities.
While Honda’s immediate goal is to carve a niche in the domestic market, the company eventually plans to ship EVs to global markets as well.
The strategy was developed by Atsushi Ogata, president of Honda Motorcycle & Scooters India, who has defined a three-year roadmap to expand the addressable market for the Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer.
After addressing the premium end of the market with BigWing motorcycles in FY21 and FY22, Ogata introduced its first 100cc motorcycle, the Shine 100, just a few days ago, and now he is putting the third, and perhaps most important, pillar for the future, by venturing into the EV space.
In a recent interview, Ogata stated that he expects EV penetration to be in the 15-25 percent range by the end of the decade, and that Honda’s roadmap is based on these projections. Electric vehicle penetration has already reached 5-7 percent of the total two-wheeler market, driven by both new-age start-ups and seasoned players.