Customers will soon be able to get the flagship electric scooter from Honda, the Activa e, with home charging, one of the biggest complaints since its launch. The news comes after the European CUV e already has a dedicated charging dock at home for battery charging.
Currently, the Activa e is limited to using Honda’s own battery-swapping ecosystem, which mean riders need to go to a PPEx e station to get their batteries charged. This is something that has been criticised by buyers who want the freedom to charge up at home or work, like the Ather 450X and TVS iQube rivals offer.
European Blueprint Shows Promise
The Honda Honda CUV e that sells in European markets is self-sufficient with home charging dock solution to enable end customers to charge the swappable batteries at home itself. The Indian Activa e is nothing but a fancied up version of the European CUV e, and is based on the same battery specs and motor placement.
Both the variants have preference for dual 1.5kWh swappable batteries, having a power of 3kWh together, which get electricity from a 6kW swing arm-mounted motor to offer a run of 102km and 80kmph top speed.
Current Infrastructure Challenges
The Activa e made its debut in India at Rs 1.17 lakh for the base model of the scooter and at Rs 1.52 lakh (ex-showroom) for the RoadSync Duo version. But the reliance of the scooter on battery-swapping stations has made the scooters inaccessible.
Currently, Honda is running its network of 83 battery swapping stations in Bengaluru, which will be extended to Delhi and Mumbai in April 2025. The company plans to have upwards of 250 stations at places in Bangalore by 2026 targeting 1 in each 5 km.
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Market Response and Customer Feedback
There is strong customer demand for the flexibility of home charging, rather than exclusive swapping, according to industry communications. So it ends up requiring users to plan based on where the swap stations are, which could be time sucking and not everyone’s cup of tea, particularly in areas where stations don’t necessarily have the most coverage.
Honda has also introduced budget friendly battery swap plans, the Lite pack (Rs 678, ex-GST), can offer up to 12 swaps per month. More swaps were charged at Rs 180 each after the monthly limit.
Competitive Landscape
The rumoured home charging option would be enough to make the Activa e a lot more competitive with the likes of the existing Bajaj Chetak, Ather Rizta, and Vida V2. These already have home charging, giving them an edge in markets with little swapping infrastructure.
The USP of the Activa e is its swappable battery technology, which cuts down on waiting period for charging, but home charging can be a game-changer in terms of appeal.