Bajaj was one of the first major manufacturers to enter the electric two-wheeler space in India with its Chetak e-scooter. But in its Premium variant, the Chetak costs a considerable Rs 1.87 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune, before subsidies). Even after the FAME-II and state subsidies, it will set you back by around Rs 1.23 lakh (on-road, Pune), which is a fairly significant amount of money for a vehicle that essentially only provides short-distance urban transportation.
The company appears to be aware of this and is working on a more affordable e-scooter to compete with the likes of the Ola S1, which costs Rs 94,999 (ex-showroom, Pune, after FAME-II and state subsidies). This more affordable e-scooter has been spotted testing, and looks like it could be heading for the production line soon.
The spy shot shows a scooter that seems as sleek and slick as the Chetak, but features a different design language. The headlight seems to be apron-mounted, as opposed to the Chetak, which houses it on the handlebar shroud. Its tail section is quite compact and accommodates only the tail-lamp and rear turn indicators, with the rear number plate mounted on the swingarm instead. The swingarm itself appears to resemble the Chetak’s unit, indicating that powertrain components could be shared between the two scooters. For reference, the Chetak uses a 4kW motor that draws juice from a 2.9kWh battery pack.
If powertrain components are kept similar, then the cost savings will come from other areas. This test mule features far more basic mirror stalks than the fancy units seen on the Chetak and the bodywork is likely to be fibreglass, as against the Chetak’s steel. The upcoming scooter will probably do away with features like keyless operation and sequential indicators, too. More basic switchgear should also help bring costs down, although it does appear to get an instrument cluster very similar to the Chetak’s. However, only time will tell just how identical it is, and whether it features Bluetooth connectivity or not.
Other learnings from the spy shots are a flat and seemingly roomy floorboard, as well as an unusual split seat design similar to that seen on the recently updated Aprilia SR 125 and SR 160. Bajaj trademarked the names Fluir and Fluor a while ago and it’s possible that its upcoming e-scooter could carry one of those nametags.
[“source=autocarindia”]
