Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) today announced its electric vehicle roadmap for the market, which includes launch of two new electric two-wheelers in FY24 under “Project Vidyut”.
The futuristic EV platform developed by the company, dubbed Platform E, will serve as the foundation for a variety of EV models, including fixed battery type, swappable battery type, and mid-range EVs, said the company.
Of the two new products slated to launch in the new fiscal, the first one is a mid-range EV, while the second will be a swappable battery type that utilises Honda’s Mobile Power Pack e:.
HMSI said it initiated “Project Vidyut” to introduce a new customer journey that caters to the electrification demands.
Atsushi Ogata, Managing Director, President & CEO, HMSI said, “In line with Honda’s global direction – to increase Electric Vehicle and Fuel Cell Vehicle unit sales ratio to 100% by 2040, we will continue to improve efficiency of ICE engines with introduction of Flex fuel engine and follow government direction for alternate fuels while expanding electrification of models and eco system.”
Factory ‘E’ – Dedicated EV Manufacturing Facility
The company is setting up a specialised manufacturing facility – Factory E – at its Narsapura Plant in Karnataka, which will exclusively focus on the production of EVs. Factory E has been designed to optimise production with high efficiency and maximum production value, HMSI stated.
In line with the government’s “Make in India” and localisation directives, Honda’s EV will utilize domestically manufactured components such as batteries and PCU. The motor for HMSI’s EV will be designed and produced in-house.
Additionally, the factory plays a significant emphasis on sustainability, with an 80% sustainable material ratio and close to 100% renewable energy rate. The advanced automated facility will ramp up in a stage wise manner to produce one million EV units by 2030.
Workshop ‘E’ – EVs Of The Future
To meet the needs of customers, charging stations will be installed across HMSI’s existing 6,000+ network touch points. Eventually, some of them will be transformed into Workshop ‘E’ – the exclusive set-up will house HEID battery exchangers and mini battery exchangers for swappable battery type and charging cables for fixed battery type.
Additionally, HMSI plans to leverage the overall ecosystem, including battery swapping stations at petrol pumps, metro stations, and other locations, to provide convenient battery swapping solution for EV users.
Future Business Direction For FY24
In the first half of FY24, HMSI is committed to complete the transition of its existing model line-up to the latest OBD2 regulation and E20 fuel compliance.
The company currently exports 18 models to over 38 countries, and has also expanded its export footprint in Oceania region with commencement of exports to Australia, New Zealand and providing powertrains for global market from HMSI’s Gujarat plant.
With HMSI’s long term plans of ‘Make in India for the World’, it will be expanding exports to 58 countries with 20 models in FY24. Realigning the production strategy, HMSI plans to soon start a new assembly line for scooters with an additional capacity of 600,000 units at its Vithalapur Plant in Gujarat.
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