ZigOpinion: Honda Activa Electric: How Much Sense Does It Make In India?

By now, it’s pretty clear that the Honda Activa Electric is expected to launch early 2025. If this is new news to you, Honda India CEO, Tsutsumu Otani, announced the same at the 64th Annual Convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

The electric version of the Activa has been long due. This is despite the fact that the Japanese manufacturer has a strong electric two-wheeler portfolio in other markets. Honda India, however, seems to be banking on developing a completely new electric scooter, specifically for India. Which then justifies why they are so late to the party. But they are not the only ones. Even Yamaha India and Suzuki India are to launch their electric offerings in India. You see, the Japanese have a very peculiar way of doing things, and they are quite hesitant to deviate from their set processes. 

That out of the way, ‘Activa Electric’ is just a colloquial name we are giving to the upcoming Honda electric scooter – the brand hasn’t yet confirmed the name. Irrespective of what it will be called, it will be closely related to the ICE Activa. Just like how the TVS iQube is an electric version of the  TVS Jupiter (just in spirit though), we expect that the “Activa Electric” will also be (in spirit) an electric Activa. Don’t get us wrong though. We’re not saying that Honda will just plonk an electric powertrain in the existing ICE Activa. But we do think Honda’s upcoming electric offering will be just as no-nonsense and family-friendly as the petrol Activa. And we think it makes sense for Honda to include ‘Activa’ in the electric scooter’s name, since the moniker has a strong recall value attached to it. The ICE Activa has made a name for itself with its reliability, ease of use, relatively affordable maintenance, and a simple yet utilitarian design. 

Honda would want to associate the same values with the electric Activa. Though, one of the key USPs of the ICE Activa is its metal body, which could be replaced with a non-metal body in the e-Activa. This could be done in favour of weight reduction. All EVs are inherently heavy due to the weight of the batteries. That combined with a metal body will not only make the scooter difficult to move about, but also affect the range and performance, which Honda surely doesn’t want. That could be compensated by an extensive suite of features; explained in this story. That said, Bajaj have somehow tackled this; the Chetak does have a metal body. We shall have to wait till the launch to find out what Honda India does. 

I am sure you must have seen Activas from all generations riding about dutifully. This is due to the ease and affordability of its maintenance. An engine, especially a well-engineered one, can be kept in functioning order almost forever with due servicing and care. Even if something goes wrong seriously, an engine can be brought back to life. However with an EV, the biggest limiting factor in longevity is the life of the battery pack itself. All batteries have a finite life – a limited amount of charge and discharge cycles – after which they are reduced to proverbial glorified paperweights. But Honda could increase the longevity of the Activa electric by using swappable batteries. 

Honda India already has an e-swapping network, called Honda e:Swap, running on a pilot basis in Bengaluru. However, it's only for commercial three-wheelers at the moment. Though, at the time of Activa Electric launch, Honda India could roll it out across the country for the scooter owners. 

The swappable battery tech will allow Honda to reduce the upfront purchase cost of the electric Activa. Using battery-as-subscription or pay-per-swap/use, the e-scooter owners won’t have to worry about high scooter-purchase costs, charging time, charging locations, and range. Thereby alleviating a lot of concerns, and making it easy to use, just like the ICE Activa. 

However, one of the drawbacks with a swappable battery tech, is the actual health of the batteries. As batteries age, their performance deteriorates; we have all seen it with our phone batteries. Similarly, an older battery, even at 100% charge might not be able to deliver the full claimed range. And such batteries can be a part of the swap network. Secondly, batteries can also deteriorate quicker depending on the use. Honda would have to implement a fool-proof system to ensure badly deteriorated batteries are not in circulation. However, that's an added cost to the brand, which will affect the subscription/pay-per-use price. 

So how much sense does the Activa electric really make? 

In India, ‘sense’ is first and foremost, directly proportionate to the purchase price. Honda India can make headway into the e-scooter segment if they can price the electric scooter close, or similar to the ICE Activa. This can be partially helped by not having users pay for the battery, as mentioned earlier. The e-scoot would also need to have a reasonable range, even with swappable batteries, and a well-established swapping network. Honda India also needs to carefully consider the subscription costs or the battery swap costs. 

Currently, the e-scooter segment in India is very niche. However, with increasing awareness, the numbers are going up. The e-scooter buyers are spoilt for choice, and there’s stiff competition from e-scooters made by Bajaj, Ola, and TVS, that are priced almost identically to some ICE scooters. As far as the launch date is concerned - March 2025, makes the Activa Electric rather late to the Indian EV game. But we’d say it's better late than never for Honda. In the same breath though, we also expect Honda India to make it a working man’s electric scooter – the same ideologies that went in making the OG Activa and the Honda Cub – the two scoots that made Honda a household name in India and the world. So will the Electric Activa do the same for Honda India in the years to come? Only time will tell…