Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has recently come out with an official statement to talk about the road map for electric two-wheelers in India and the company's vision for the year 2030. The Japanese two-wheeler manufacturer says that by the end of the next decade, Honda's aim is to lead the development of future mobility solutions that improve the lives of people everywhere in the world. And the Indian government's efforts to promote electric vehicle (EV) is in line with the company's global vision.
Talking about the challenges of achieving complete electrification, HMSI said, "Globally, Honda has an experience of developing & selling Electric Two Wheelers for over 25 years. Due to multiple factors including vehicle cost, riding performance, range and infrastructure, customers' adoption of EV is still a major challenge."
Honda recently showcased it first BS6 vehicle, an Activa 125 BS-VI, which will be launched in September 2019
Also Read: NITI Aayog Proposes To Convert Two-Wheelers Below 150 cc To Electric By 2025
Further elaborating on this matter, Honda has stated that the focus right now is the transition to Bharat Stage VI or BS6 emission norms, which comes into effect from April 1, 2020. The two-wheeler manufacturer has said that "the industry needs more time to stabilize after BS-VI changeover before we take the next step of moving from IC Engine technology, especially considering Indian customer requirement of higher daily commuting distance and price consciousness."
Interestingly enough, this statement comes just days after Niti Aayog asked two-wheeler makers to suggest concrete steps towards the transition to electric mobility, keeping in mind 2025 deadline to convert two-wheelers with an engine capacity less than 150 cc to electric. The government think-tank had given all conventional two- and three-wheeler makers two weeks to come out suggestions and steps to achieve this goal. The deadline to convert all three-wheeler to electric vehicles is 2023.
As of now, Honda has voiced the need for a well laid out plan jointly prepared by the Government and the auto industry to achieve this difficult goal. The company also says that the plan will also need inputs from all other concerned parties which are looking into the aspects of air pollution, energy security, cost of technology, availability of raw materials and infrastructure while addressing employment impact to increase stepwise penetration of Electric Vehicles.
