The new model is likely to be the all-electric version of the popular Activa.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) plans to launch its first electric scooter in the Indian market in 2023.

Atsushi Ogata, MD, President and CEO, HMSI, stated that the company is currently in the process of forming a team of engineers to develop core technologies and platforms for the e-scooter to suit Indian conditions.

He also confirmed that the feasibility study has been completed and the actual development process will now begin. The scooter is being developed in collaboration with engineers from Honda Motorcycle, Japan.

The new model is likely to be the all-electric version of the popular Activa. Ogata claims that it will be a “futuristic Activa” designed for short-distance travel in urban and semi-urban areas.

Source: ET Auto

The new model is claimed to be the “greenest EV” Ola Electric has ever made.

Ola Electric has teased a new electric scooter that will be unveiled on August 15, 2022.

Ola hasn’t revealed any details about the new product, except that the new model is claimed to be the “greenest EV” the company has ever made.

It has been speculated that Ola might introduce a new model that will slot below the S1 Pro. It could get a less powerful electric motor and a smaller battery pack.

The Ola S1 Pro uses a 3.97 kWh battery pack offering a maximum range of 181 km. It powers an electric motor that produces 11 BHP and 58 Nm, enabling the e-scooter to sprint from 0-60 km/h in 5 seconds. The S1 Pro has a top speed of 115 km/h.

TVS has filed a patent for the hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric scooter abroad.

TVS Motors is developing a hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric scooter. Details of the new model have now been revealed through a leaked patent filing.

The patent image appears to show a pair of hydrogen canisters integrated into the front fairing, just behind the downtube, while the filler nozzle is located on the front apron. 

The battery is positioned under the rider’s feet and the fuel cell is tucked-in under the seat. The image also reveals other components like the pressure regulator, flow meter and shut-off valve.

One of the main advantages of hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles is that refilling hydrogen is as easy as filling petrol. However, storing hydrogen is tricky, and the infrastructure required is still in its nascent stage.

Source: The Hindu

The have an extremely unprofessional delivery plan. They first wanted to deliver the scooter to me at 11:30 pm on a Sunday night. I refused flat out.

BHPian jyobeb recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have owned an Ola S1 Pro for about 3 months now. Putting down my observations, likes and dislikes:

Far too long a time taken between booking the scooter, making full payment and delivery. (More than 6 months).

Extremely unprofessional delivery plan. They first wanted to deliver the scooter to me at 11:30 pm on a Sunday night. I refused flat out and they tried to beg and cajole me to take delivery, giving me all kinds of excuses. When they realized that I was adamant, they became aggressive in tone and said that if that then they would."SEE". I then got delivery after 2 weeks after cussing out Ola online customer support many, many times.

It's been more than 2 months since my vehicle was registered but I still don't have a number or the RC card. On asking the agent, he says take it up with OLA. The OLA representative calls me after I send 5 messages cussing them out, to ask the agent!!!! As of now, I still don't have a number plate or the RC card.

Likes:

• Excellent fit and finish.
• Powerful motor.
• Brilliant pick up.

Dislikes:

• The absolutely rotten buying experience.
• Horrible communication system with no personal touch.
• In Hyper mode, it's just too quick for a scooter.
• The touch screen and number code for starting and moving is not security friendly. All you need is a person at a slightly higher point behind or to the side of view with a video camera and you will find your scooter missing when you come back. In my opinion a huge negative.

Will I recommend the OLA?

As a stand alone scooter - Yes

As an Ola product - NO

The lack of human interaction, the inability to walk into a service centre with your complaints and the total un-personal experience just does not cut it.

Overall, not a very pleasant experience.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Gen-3 model is likely to replace the current 450X.

Ather Energy has announced that the all-new Gen-3 450X electric scooter will be revealed on July 19, 2022.

The Gen-3 model is likely to replace the current 450X. It is also expected to get a larger battery pack, up from the existing 2.6 kWh unit. It will power an electric motor rated at 6.4 kW with a nominal power output of 3.1 kW.

The e-scooter could get two settings - a standard version with five riding modes - Warp, Sport, Ride, Eco and Smart Eco and a second version with a reduced battery capacity and four riding modes.

Thanks to its larger battery, the new 450X will be able to cover 146 km on a single charge. For the aforementioned 'second setting', maximum range drops to 108 km.

More details along with the booking amount will be announced closer to launch.

Tried cruise control,. Works as advertised but not useful in Bangalore traffic. Will be good on long rides.

BHPian Pigcee recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Finally got the Move OS 2 update.

Clocked 1200+ km and the update just completed the vehicle as a product.

Tried cruise control. Works as advertised but not useful in Bangalore traffic. Will be good on long rides.

Eco mode is too sluggish for my liking, always prefer Sport mode, it's balanced . Hyper mode is just crazy fast for a scooter and easy to lose track of speed limits.

The app integration is neat and the lock/unlock features work great, but I find the screen lock better to use. And the whole no key feature has grown on me and would prefer my future vehicles this way. Btw my dad who is in his late fifties uses the vehicle more and finds it intuitive to use, so no problems there too.

Now the feature I really liked is the music player, I tried it for laughs and gags but I find myself using it regularly. Especially in late night rides, not choc a bloc traffic. Again something I never expected that I'd like but good to have.

My only worry is the reports about front suspension, so I'm being extra careful about speed breakers and potholes.

So as long as it works ,I'm super happy with my scooter.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Okinawa’s Karoli plant will be its third EV manufacturing facility.

Okinawa Autotech has announced that it will invest Rs 500 crore to set up a new manufacturing plant at Karoli, Rajasthan.

Okinawa’s Karoli plant will be its third EV manufacturing facility. It will be spread over 30 acres and will have an annual production capacity of 10 lakh units. The factory will employ more than 5,000 people.

The new factory will have an automatic robotic battery manufacturing unit, automated plastic body parts moulding unit, a paint shop as well as a motor and controller plant.

According to the company, the new facility will not only manufacture EVs but will also house suppliers that manufacture motors, controllers, battery packs and other electrical components. The company also plans to set up R&D facilities at the new plant.

Okinawa currently operates two manufacturing units at Alwar, Rajasthan.

Source: DNA

The major issue with portable batteries is that heat dissipation is almost absent.

BHPian Venky03 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Received a message from the dealer regarding the charger health camp, PURE has advised all the dealers to reduce the charger voltage from 67.2V to 66.6V after the recent fire incidents.

My charger

They're even ghosting out the channels that used to promote their products.

Here's how the battery looks from inside (Credits - DReviewExpert Youtube):

Close-up of the BMS module:

Seems like it is held in place with polyimide tape.

Mirror after removing the outer chrome cover:

Most of the users are facing similar issues, the BMS issue is a serious one as they're not able to pinpoint what caused the failure. Don't know what the PURE management is up to, but they need to release the reports of all the fire incidents and reveal what went wrong instead of blaming everything on the users. The major issue with portable batteries is that heat dissipation is almost absent and won't be surprised to see more EVs catching fire next summer when it gets even hotter.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I was returning from a friend's house on my newly purchased electric scooter, and was to take a right towards a bus lane to my house.

BHPian shresan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

All i remember is flashes of a hit and flying. It is traumatic and fresh. Just a week old.

I had my helmet on. That was what actually saved me from serious damage.

So what really happened? Its all a daze as far as i can remember. I will lead you up to it and lead you out of it, you have to figure out what happened in the interim.

I was returning from a friend's house on my newly purchased electric scooter, and was to take a right towards a bus lane to my house. I approached the junction and slowed down. I acknowledged an Indica come to a near stop at the junction, seeming as if he was letting me and one more Dio rider pass. As soon as I was in the middle of the oncoming lane, he accelerated hard and hit me.

The next thing I know, I was flying. Consequently, I was on the floor with onlookers trying to help me up. I felt my ribs being choked as I gasped for air. I looked at myself, pulled my t-shirt up and checked for inflammations or bleeding. There were none. All the injuries were internal.

The traffic police came around and stopped the Indica driver. She was saying that it was my fault as i had attempted to turn right into a lane that was "legally one way but socially two way" lane. The intriguing part of all that was the fact that i've been in that locality for 18 years and there is no sign of such things. Even bizarre stuff is that buses go in and out of the road. When i pointed that out, she seemed flustered, frowned and said, "Only buses are allowed like that. Civilian vehicles aren't."

After such irritating arguments i decided to let her go. She almost tried to convince me that a no u turn board also signifies no right turn.

Anyway, what happened was that seemingly, the driver's leg slipped from the clutch and when the vehicle jerked forward, he, instead of pressing the brake and clutch, pressed the accelerator. Or so he told.

I was perturbed as to the validity of the statement.

Somehow, i was sent flying. About 12 feet or so in length and landed flush on my back. The vehicle is damaged a bit, with a stuck accelerator and out of place fittings, etc. I am yet to check with the company. I let the driver go (he was a taxi driver) without any compensation or so.

Got diagnosed with several blood clots in my chest and some injury in my shoulder, but pretty much mobile and safe as of now. No serious problems.

So yeah, please look out for people like this on the road and please do stop at junctions before proceeding, even if it is empty.

Here's what BHPian BhaskarG had to say on the matter:

Glad you are okay. Though it was not your fault, I am writing the following as a general safety concern. I am not implying that you had done something wrong:

• Be on your safe side, always. Life once gone is gone. No amount of argument about who was right and wrong will bring you back.
• Never should we be in a hurry on the road. even if we are in a hurry. So that we need to take minimum number of split second decisions.
• Should not make a move until we have understood the other driver/rider's motive. This judgement comes with experience, but anyhow it is always better to be safe than sorry.
• Honking is important in India. Always better to let the fellow drivers aware of your intentions.
• Indian driving conditions are chaotic. Always important to keep your calm, and be 100% focused. A senior driver once told me, do not bring your stress and tensions to the road unless you want a mishap.
• All these points will apply more on a two wheeler. Split second decisions may injure a rider, but a person in a car may remain safe.

Happy motoring!

Here's what BHPian sgmuser had to say on the matter:

It looks like a classic pressing the wrong pedal to me as you mentioned the car almost came to stop or it could be he was using mobile! But to me, the first one is the more likely. Unfortunate and thank God and move on. Make sure please you review about your health few times (some 2nd opinions) at least to make sure nothing goes unseen, as I can feel your pain of flying for 12 feet and landing on a hard surface. Take care.

Here's what BHPian bblost had to say on the matter:

Glad that you managed to walk away from what looks like a rather nasty crash.

From your description of the incident, you seem to have done everything correctly. But no one can do anything to fix such badly trained drivers.

Very happy you were wearing a helmet.

Here's what BHPian wadewilson had to say on the matter:

I can empathize with your situation because I started riding a two wheeler again from today, after a gap of almost 12 years. I had a horrendous incident earlier while riding, so I stopped, but due to my place of work being so near to home, I felt guilty using my car.

Anyway, today, after returning back from my place of work, I had to take a right turn. I indicted a while back to show that I was going to take a right turn, then a car comes up (there is an incline), sees me, and doesn't brake, instead speeds up. I was riding at a slow pace (maybe around 20-25 km/hr) since I'm scared of riding fast on two wheelers after the incident. In order to save myself, I had to push the throttle and thankfully was able to get out of the way just before the car speedily crossed me. Another incident happened when I almost reached home, I had to take another left turn, I indicated a while back to show that I was going to take a turn when three young boys on a Scooty whizzed past me and overtook me from the left side. I almost crashed into them because I assumed they would have seen the turn signal which I had turned on keeping adequate distance in mind.

Tomorrow will be the second day of using the Scooty to go to work. I'm having second thoughts after the narrow escape I had today and also after reading your post. Hope you will recover fully and bounce back on your feet. It seems that it's not just enough to follow traffic rule,s but we also have to gauge the intent of other automobiles on the road these days. Stay safe brother.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Bajaj has invested Rs 300 crore in the new EV manufacturing facility.

Bajaj Auto has opened a new EV manufacturing unit, Chetak Technologies Limited, at its Akurdi plant, near Pune. It is situated in what used to be the assembly shop of the original Chetak scooter.

Bajaj has invested Rs 300 crore in the new unit. It houses R&D, Purchase, Engineering and Manufacturing departments. The factory has a capacity to produce 800 EVs per day or 2.5 lakh units per annum.

According to Bajaj, the new facility will focus only on electric vehicles. The company is said to have achieved 90% localization and has 55 vendors within 25 km of the factory.