Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) are currently not working on any electric two-wheeler product specifically for the Indian market, HMSI President and CEO Minoru Kato said in a media interaction while rolling out the company's strategic plans for 2018-19 in New Delhi. While acknowledging that India is Honda's biggest two-wheeler market contributing 30 per cent of Honda Two Wheeler's global sales, Kato said as of now, there are no concrete plans or timelines for any electric two-wheeler product in India, but said HMSI will respect the government's decision to have all electric automobiles by 2030.
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"We will of course, respect the government's decision for electrification of automobiles, but at this point in time, we don't have a confirmed timeline of launching any electric two-wheeler in India. As you know, Honda globally has several electric powered automotive products, so the expertise is there, but we need to develop a specific product for India, and as such, right now, there is no such production underway," Kato said.
The Honda PCX Electric will be launched in Japan and select Asian markets later this year
Also Read: Honda PCX Electric Scooter Showcased In Auto Expo 2018
Earlier this year, Honda showcased the PCX electric scooter at the Auto Expo 2018, and Honda intends to launch the PCX electric scooter later this year in Japan and select other Asian markets, but so far, there are no plans of launching the electric scooter in India. Honda has also developed removable batteries for its electric scooters, which were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show at Las Vegas in January this year. The swappable batteries, called Honda Mobile Power Packs, to be swapped among different gadgets and machines, and not just limited to electric two-wheelers.
Also Read: Honda Reveals Standard Battery Packs For Electric Two-Wheelers
Evidently, there's a lot of research underway in the electric mobility space within Honda, but so far HMSI seems to be focussed on consolidating growth within the internal combustion engine space in India, both for scooters and motorcycles. For 2018-19, HMSI has earmarked Rs. 800 crore investment to upgrade existing products, as well as to meet the challenges of Bharat Stage VI emission regulations, which will come into effect from April 1, 2020.
