Honda Activa vs Bajaj Chetak (Petrol vs Electric)
The Honda Activa has been around for ages while the Bajaj Chetak opens doors to a new era
The future of the automotive industry is ‘apparently’ electric according to critics and environmentalists. While one can expect a wider range of EVs on the market in the not-too-distant future, ICE vehicles would not vanish from the planet that easily.
All across the world and throughout textbooks, rising demand for electric mobility comes in the name of saving the planet. If this goal really needs to be met, electric and petrol (preferably petrol hybrids) vehicles should co-exist. Even today, several countries (including India) rely on puffing coal power plants to generate electricity. If there are only electric vehicles, the load on such indirectly polluting power sources would increase by a huge margin.
All across the world and throughout textbooks, rising demand for electric mobility comes in the name of saving the planet. If this goal really needs to be met, electric and petrol (preferably petrol hybrids) vehicles should co-exist. Even today, several countries (including India) rely on puffing coal power plants to generate electricity. If there are only electric vehicles, the load on such indirectly polluting power sources would increase by a huge margin.
A change is definitely required to conserve the environment but a rapid move can only worsen matters. Electric vehicles occupy only a smart part of India’s automotive industry but the numbers are witnessing a rise albeit slowly. At present, an electric vehicle cannot justify its pricing compared to an equivalent ICE alternative. However, there is a ray of hope in the two-wheeler category, especially amongst scooters. Let us take a look at why electric scooters generally make more sense than a petrol-CVT example like the Honda Activa.
In an ocean of CVT or “gearless” scooters, only a few actually stand apart from the usuals. Examples include premium choices from Vespa, Aprilia’s SR series and, to an extent, the TVS NTorq 125 Race Edition. Remaining options such as Honda Motorcycle’s Activa generations arguably feel the same. In fact, key differences between regular ICE scooters are mostly limited to a few less-important ticks on the list of features simply because performance numbers have never been a top concern. Furthermore, the target customer of a 100-125cc scooter demands just an easy-to-live-with two-wheeler with decent fuel economy and load-carrying capacity. Electric scooters promise exactly that and sometimes even more.
While Ather Energy’s 450X (‘450’ replacement) sits as a worthy benchmark among electric scooters and two-wheelers in general, Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company have done an appreciable job at packaging a desirable electric powertrain. At roughly Rs 1-1.5 lakh, the Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube are following the right path towards India’s electric mobility goals.
While Ather Energy’s 450X (‘450’ replacement) sits as a worthy benchmark among electric scooters and two-wheelers in general, Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company have done an appreciable job at packaging a desirable electric powertrain. At roughly Rs 1-1.5 lakh, the Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube are following the right path towards India’s electric mobility goals.
Compared to the latest ~8bhp Honda Activa 6G BS6 which costs about Rs 64,000 ex-showroom, their pricing is still on the higher side. Yet, experts predict that battery and electric powertrain technology would undergo significant advancement in a few years such that manufacturers would be able to price EVs on par with an equivalent petrol or diesel offering.
Hero MotoCorp Increases Prices Of Its Lineup – Splendor, HF Deluxe To Passion
Comments
Post a Comment