Bajaj Auto has been a synonym of two-wheeler vehicles ranging across scooters and motorcycles in the country for decades. With the advent of electric vehicles in India, the company aligned itself to focus on such cleaner machines for almost a year. The result is now out, the first ever electric scooter by Bajaj Auto named after its iconic Chetak!
Mr. Rajiv Bajaj started by taking shots at other manufacturers. He then informed that Bajaj Auto exported 40% of its production last year. He also said that 50% of his time is devoted to electric vehicles, which is a indicator of more electric products being launched by Bajaj. Also present at the launch were Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO Niti Aayog and Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Mr. Nitin Gadkari.
The Chetak Chic electric scooter marks its entry into the Indian EV market today. Bajaj Auto made sure that the scooter is not the only one of its kind. For this, it launched the Chetak Electric under a new sub-brand - Bajaj Urbanite, a division that will solely produce such electric two-wheelers.?
As for the Chetak Chic, the e-scooter will start retailing around mid-2020 and will take on its likes from Ather Energy, Okinawa Scooters, Hero Electric and Ampere Electric Vehicles. Check out the full list of electric scooters available in India here.
Bajaj Auto has gone for a neo-retro design for the Chetak Chic, something like its earlier scooters like the Vespa and the Chetak, including the latterĄ¯s iconic single-sided front fork.?
The scooter features a modern design and doesn't look like a retro design. It also gets a full digital display for all read outs of speed and battery indicator. There's disc brake at the front while rear makes do with drums. It also comes with LED headlamps with Day time running lamps.
Other details like performance, electric motor, battery capacity, and charging time haven't been released by Bajaj Auto.
Bajaj Auto
Other features of the Bajaj Chetak Electric include lithium-ion battery is used for power and that Bajaj Auto will offer a home-charger at additional cost. The battery can be charged from the 15Amp power socket that is common in Indian homes. There will also be Sports and Eco driving modes on the Chetak. In Eco Mode the driving range is 95 km on a single charge, while in Sport mode the range drops to 85 km. There are connectivity options in the form of Bluetooth and a mobile app.
Bajaj Chetak Electric price isn't available yet. The scooter Powered by a lithium-ion battery, the scooter will also be incentivised under the FAME-II scheme.
Bajaj says that the electric scooter under the Urbanite brand will be sold through its existing KTM dealerships and will initially be available in Pune and Bengaluru beginning January 2020 in six colour options?.?
Bajaj's plant that makes the Urbanite electric scooter employs 80% women in the workforce and the production of the Chetak electric began in September this year.