[Sebring]

Design looks Vespa in totality, but it is definitely something I'd consider since it looks stunning - like a museum piece. The clock turns a full circle for Bajaj with the re-introduction of the much beloved Chetak. This model alone launched the Company to dizzying heights. Those days, since waiting periods ran to years, my uncle had exercised the 'Dollar currency' option to get faster delivery. Rahul Bajaj can heave a sigh of relief, after 14 long years, since he was never happy the scooter ceased production.

[GTO]

Thanks to a Team-BHP Fan (who prefers to stay anonymous) for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Hi GTO,

The pricing for the Bajaj Chetak would be approximately 1.1 lakhs.

[dailydriver]

I am simply drooling over the design, excited over the concept and reeling under the heat of buyer's remorse - all at once!

Having paid nearly 85k for an ICE scooter just last week, I wouldn't have minded shelling out a few thousands more for a fully developed e-scoot - had it been or if it would be - available at my place; which sadly isn't likely to be in the near future.

Bajaj's gearless scooters were hopeless failures. I think it was right of them to exit the space when they did and it is also right time for them to come back.

Bringing a good product is one thing; making it an exhilarating and tension less experience for buyers to own it, is another. Hope Bajaj will train its dealers well in this regard.

1. Ather, take note.

2. Others, buckle up.

3. Buyers, say cheese and sing along:

HAMARA BAJAJ

[Sebring]

Don't have remorse, as 85-90 is not good range yet. LOL. In a year it will drop by 10-25%...you know how it is in our phones. Then battery heat issues. I'll be comfortable with a 200 Kms range, so till then it is IC!
Bajaj dealer Khivraj opposite the Museum was quite good in the 90s.

Originally Posted by dailydriver

I am simply drooling over the design, excited over the concept and reeling under the heat of buyer's remorse - all at once!

[samaspire]

The design, though being Vespa "inspired" (maybe because of it), is very appealing. As a standalone product it looks stunning, but what from the Chetak have they carried over other than the name? Maybe the spare wheel would have made it retro cool.

PS: the sideways does remind one of its predecessor.

[anshumandun]

As a marketing exercise, Bajaj should launch a concept Chetak with the following features:

1. Add a spare tyre as a backrest for the pillion.
2. Put the battery on one side of the scooter so that the scooter is heavier on one side.
3. Give the option of starting the scooter by tilting it to one side.
4. Add a brake pedal at the front footrest area.

Chetak is a legendary brand for people from the 80s. I have a lot of childhood memories with Chetak and would love to own this and relive those memories. If this product turns out to be good, it will be a success for sure.

[Impala_123]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Bajaj Auto has unveiled the Chetak electric scooter.....

Although decent styling but looks like " VESPA INSPIRED JUPITER OF BAJAJ "

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by Impala_123

Although decent styling but looks like " VESPA INSPIRED JUPITER OF BAJAJ "

Legacy continues. The original Chetak was heavily inspired by the Vespa and now again history repeats in 2019. I think any scooter with round light is bound to look like a Vespa, have heard lot of folks call Fascino a cheaper Vespa.

[sri_tesla]

Success of Chetak will push other major brands to develop electric scooters. TVS has shown Creon 2 years back but they seems to be dragging their feet. Yamaha is already rumored to bring EC05 scooters to India through drivezy. They are also revealing E02 scooter which looks beautiful at the Tokyo motor show later this month. Chetak success will make Yamaha to launch their electric scooters in India early.

The rumored pricing of Rs 1.1 lakhs (as per GTO post above) means they are targeting Ather 450 directly. Ather seems to struggling to expand and they are behind their expansion roadmap. Bajaj will have advantage of known brand and much higher reach through wide dealer network across the country. These are definitely exciting times for the people who are interested in EVs.

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

On the other hand, Chetak is also drawing criticism for the 'inspiration' taken from Vespa.

Pratap Bose of TATA design calls it a "Sad day for Indian Design"

Source

I really don't think so. When something is good, people follow it. In cars also we have seen many designs which are inspired (copied) by others in the past, right? Going ahead also we will see such things, no doubt on that. Similarly we have seen that in motor cycles & scooters as well.

Coming back to Chetak, Bajaj has done good job. Hope they will price it very competitively and it will get success in the market. All the best Bajaj.

[nikhilthegunner]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

On the other hand, Chetak is also drawing criticism for the 'inspiration' taken from Vespa.

Pratap Bose of TATA design calls it a "Sad day for Indian Design"

Source

There was this tweet covering Bajaj's veiled comment about Revolt and how he claims his company is original in its design to which Bose tweeted that it was interesting coming from a person that ripped off the vespa design.

Here's the link
https://twitter.com/BosePratap/statu...892600834?s=20

[payeng]

80-100 kms range is ok since on an average my daily commute is around 35-40 kms..

.. But Issue is Charging (the Achilles Heel of EVs):

1. Charging at Home: I live in an apartment on the 12th Floor and currently have a dedicated parking spot for my car. The power suppy would have to be set up by the Society. Now imagine someone who doesn't even have a dedicated parking spot.

2. Charging at Stations: I can see the long lines of cars/4W waitiing in line to get their CNG tanks filled up in 2-3 mins. Now imagine waiting in line for 2-5 hrs for a charging station.

Summary is that this Scooter can ideally be used by someone who has a dedicated Parking Spot at his residence.

[srishiva]

For someone who was deriding all other electric attempts (also I hope he is familiar with South India and not just as a some whole part :( ), its a disappointing design. It looks like Jupiter from front side on and the whole thing looks like Vespa.

The instrument panel is LED and not an LCD. Given that their bikes are not that well built, hopefully they have taken care of building this better.

[amods]

This looks amazing. But, for practicality, I would not buy a 1L scooter(still unsure) knowing that I can only charge it at home every 80kms. My office has e-charging facility, but only for cars. Convenient public charging is still a distant dream. The range needs to be in extent of 150 in real world scenario to push people like me towards E-scooters.

[hemanth.anand]

Things I've decoded / gathered from the videos and pictures of Chetak so far..

Body/Looks
Metal Body with clean retro looks
LED headlamps, tail lamps and blinkers
Circular surround DRL in Headlamp
Chetak logo inside Headlamp.
Centre stand and side stand
Body coloured side step for saree clad women
Foldable foot rest
Black 12" alloy wheels with red border
Contrasting red stitching for seats
under seat storage as well as front storage space.
Front storage has mobile charging socket, First aid cum tool kit and most probably the portable charger (in a pouch)
6 colours-Black, White, Gold, Matte Silver, Blue, Red/Maroon
Only Chetak branding...no bajaj branding. Thankfully they didn't name it Bajaj Urbanite Chetak Chic Electric as rumoured.

Suspension tyres and brakes
90/90-12 MRF Nylogrip Zapper tyres
Disc brake on front and drum brake on rear
No telescopic front shocks but a setup like Activa
Rear mono shock (on left side)

Powertrain
The 4KW motor is a direct drive mounted on the Swingarm. This will mean it'll be eerily silent!
The battery pack is located under the storage towards the front portion of the seat and is non swappable! the battery pack looks like a small aircraft cabin baggage!

Charging and Range
Portable charger. (Most probably stored in the front storage area).
Home charging station.
BMS with auto cutoff.
Charging port in under the seat where usual fuel filling cap is present-Not sure how to close the seat during charging.
Range in Eco mode 95kms and 85kms in Sports mode. not sure if it is ARAI rated or real world. if it is ARAI rated, it is low IMO

The switch-gear
The switches on the handlebar are finished in piano black.
The right side has 5 buttons M (Mode), R (reverse), another button (probably Power button), D (Drive) and the Right blinker switch.
The left side has 5 buttons high beam/low beam, light on/off, another button, (looks like N to me), Horn and the left blinker switch.
This is the first time I'm seeing separate left and right blinkers on left and right side of the handlebar. will take time to get used to IMO

The display cluster
It is circular and is further divided into two concentric circular sections.
The outside section has all tell tale lights. moving clockwise from the Chetak Symbol on top, we see high beam, right blinker and battery charging. Moving anti clockwise, we see light on/off telltale, left blinker, Neutral mode lamp and a generic warning symbol.

The inside section is a digital display and has may display features. the top half of the periphery shows speed progress bar. Looks like the max speed that can be displayed is 100kmph and hence the top speed must be around 90kmph.
The right bottom periphery shows the battery percentage progress bar.
The left bottom periphery shows modes - Sports, Eco, Drive, Neutral and Reverse. Not sure what exactly is Neutral mode for.

Top portion of the central area has:
Bluetooth symbol
Play-pause symbol
Call alert indicator
Time display
Charging (plug icon)
Service reminder
Side Stand indicator
Battery temperature/overheat symbol

middle portion:
Battery full of percentage indicator
Speed (kmph or mph customisable)
range (kms or miles)

Bottom area:
ODO 7-segment number area (kms or miles)
This same area shows SOC (statement of charge) during charging
Below that is TTC (Time To Charge) in hh:mm

Features
Keyless start stop.
There is a button on normal key slot area which is probably to open the cover for the front storage area.
Luggage hook on the front seat (like Vespa)
Bluetooth connectivity
Call alerts
Song play control of Bluetooth connected device
No touch screen or on-board navigation
Mobile charging 12V cigarette lighter socket

Looking at all these, it looks like Bajaj has ticked most of the boxes with Chetak and as expected, this will be the real competition to Ather 450.

Advantage Chetak
Elegant retro looks
Nice Colour options
Feature laden
Silent hub mounted motor
Centre stand
Rear side step
Brand name
Established dealer network

Advantage 450
Futuristic sporty looks
Smart, connected vehicle
Touchscreen and on-board navigation
Telescopic front shocks, two disc brakes, rear centre mounted mono shocks
Superb balance owing to the "designed to be an EV" approach
OTA updates
Belt drive that makes sound (sound is actually good)

Overall, I feel that Chetak will appeal to the masses (provided they get the pricing correct) while Ather will appeal to younger geeky people. If Chetak is like Activa/Vespa, 450 is like Dio/Aprilia.
Finally good to see two Indian companies having strong products and leading this new phase in 2-wheeler EV scenario.

Disclaimer: I've tried to collect correct details as much as possible. However since full specs/details of the Chetak haven't been officially revealed, I can't guarantee the correctness of the above!