India’s favourite two-wheeler brand Bajaj is going to make a comeback in the scooter department soon. Bajaj scooters were very popular in the country with their retro styling back in the day and according to the new spyshots, the retro styling will be retained on the new model. But surprisingly, the scooter in question now is an electric powered two-wheeler. The electric scooter will be developed under the sub-brand Bajaj Urbanite.
The Bajaj Urbanite was unveiled earlier and Bajaj is now focussing on the electric two-wheeler market with this new brand. Bajaj claimed to create a niche market and electric scooter will not be like other electric scooters in the segment, but a lot has changed in the electric two-wheeler industry since the statement was made back in 2017.
The test mule which was spotted near Pune reveals that the scooter had no exhaust present near the engine compartment and thus, it is expected to have an all-electric drivetrain. The retro design scooter has a wide apron and curvy side panels and has alloy wheels in contrast to the old-school design. According to a media report, sketches of the same scooter had appeared on the internet and that scooter came along with a internal combustion engine but this scooter could be an Urbanite e-scooter. The scooter appears to be going through the final road testing phase and could be ready for production soon.
The technical specification on the drivetrain are scarce at the moment, but more information is expected closer to the launch. The new scooter in the spied images, if it really is the Bajaj Urbanite, will rival the likes of other electric scooters like Okinawa, Ather, Twenty Two Motors and others.
Also, the FAME II scheme for development of electric scooters will help the manufacturer to keep the costs in check. According to the FAME II scheme, the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) are required to have at least 50% value (ex-factory) of the parts be locally produced. Once the vehicles are certified by the authorities, such as ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) under Rule 126 of CMVR (Central Motor Vehicle Rules), they are eligible to receive an incentive of INR 10,000 per kWh (kilo Watt hour).
The Government of India plans to sell 1 million electric bikes to curb the rising environmental pollution in India. The electric scooter market is currently very slow and is expected to rise with the Bajaj’s entry in the electric two-wheeler market.