More Bajaj Electric Two-Wheelers In The Works
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Bajaj reveals big plans for electric vehicles
After the success of its Chetak EV brand, Bajaj Auto plans on launching a series of electric two-wheelers under the Chetak brand every year for the next three to five years which will include different types of e-scooters. In addition to that, an updated version of the current Chetak will also be making its way into the domestic EV market soon this year.
Currently, Bajaj Auto plans on concentrating on the Chetak sub brand, which will be the mother brand for the company’s electric two-wheelers. To cater to a wider audience, the auto-manufacturer is working on bringing out e-scooters in different form factors, with different powertrain capacities.
Rajiv Bajaj, director of Bajaj Auto mentions that the company wants to cater to several sub-segments, which he feels are currently not serviced well, and with more affordable EV technology, the electric vehicles will be more sustainable and accessible even without banking on various subsidies.
Yamaha Records Dismal Sales For The MT-15 Ola S1 Pro Catches Fire, Raises Safety Concerns Upcoming Electric Bikes in IndiaHe further mentions that the company plans to roll out 50,000 EVs in the financial year 2022 - 2023, which is a really ambitious target, considering currently the capacity is at 8000-9000 electric scooters per year.
Apart from that, the company recently announced the setting up of a manufacturing facility in Akurdi Pune, focused on bringing out Bajaj’s EV products and had an initial investment of Rs 300 crore. Adding on to that, the facility will be capable of producing 2,50,000 units by the next fiscal year which can be expanded to five lakh units as well. The new plant is expected to start assembling EVs by June 2022.
The upcoming Bajaj Chetak electric scooters should help the bikemaker establish a strong base in the growing e-scooter segment. This space is already witnessing stiff competition from the Ola S1 range, Ather 450X, TVS iQube Electric, and the upcoming Simple One. Moreover, other mainstream ICE two-wheeler manufacturers are eyeing this segment too. We know that Suzuki is all set to launch the Burgman Electric soon, and the test mule, for the same, has already been spotted several times in a production-ready avatar. On the other hand, Honda is working on launching an electric two-wheeler specifically for the Indian market, which is expected to be the Activa E.
Aamir Momin