Might not translate into sales volume, but electric vehicles are gaining popularity in the Indian market as well as the other parts of the world, And to cast a spell, Honda is working on its electric EV- Neo scooter which they are currently testing in Barcelona, Spain.

What is the Honda EV-Neo scooter?

The scooter is targeted at the urban population as a low cost and flexible transporting solution. It uses a Lithium-ion battery with a 2.8kw motor which takes about 3.5 hours to full charge the battery. With a rapid charger you can even charge it in 30 minutes and that gives the range of 34km at 30km/hr on a level ground.

Why are they testing the Honda EV-Neo in Barcelona?

Barcelona City council and RACC, Spain’s leading Automobile Club along with Honda are doing research and development in Barcelona. Motorcycle accounts to 30% of all vehicles in Barcelona which makes it an ideal destination for testing. On similar grounds, Indian market is also on the same marketing pattern. It will be a success in the Indian market as well because Honda is one of the largest two wheeler manufacturers in the country and has the technology ready. There are many brands that operate with electric two-wheelers, but no one apart from TVS has really made a realistic effort to make in roads.

Why should they test the Honda EV-Neo in India?

The electric vehicles has zero emissions and have a huge appeal since the climate change awareness in the country. Foundations like TERI are working on these issues and have also earned a Noble prize for that. India as a developing nation is one of the largest two wheeler market in the world and the electric vehicle is a great alternative. Not only EV-Neo is a compact solution for the congested roads in India, but affordable as well.

By Alok Grover

The more interesting part is the source of power – the slightly more advanced lithium ion battery pack sits beneath the skin and it can be charged using a household socket.

The scooters are brought from Taiwan as knock-down kits and assembled in India.

Mr R.D.Sharma, Chairman, Hi-Bird Group of Industries -

New electric scooters in line with the go-green goal have been launched to complement efforts to reduce air polluting vehicle emission. The futuristic-looking scooters feature an electric motor mounted in the rear wheel, which is powered by lithium-ion batteries. The scooters have a top speed of 100kph and a maximum range of about 70 km after each charge of 5-6 hours. The scooter has an on-board charging system and can be charged using the household electric plug point. The vehicles are totally environment friendly noise free, smoke free, no petrol, no registration, no license and have a very low running cost. The carrying capacity of the vehicle is one adult and one child.

The price range of two electric scooters is between Rs 27,000 and Rs 28,900.

Source – Motoroids.com via IndianCarsBikes.in

E-VA Electric Scooter could make it to India through Garware?

Called the E-VA, the scooter runs on lithium-ion battery and is available in 4 colors. I apologize as it is very difficult to make something electric look very interesting especially when you have names like GT650R and ST7 cruiser on the other side of the display area.

Would Garware bring these scooters to India as well?

Source – Joongang Daily

Hanebrink's urban delivery vehicle is more for the adventure seeker

A company called Fortune Hanebrink has brought out a hybrid bicycle that costs $5500 (the cost of 2 Tata Nanos roughly) that promises fun to the delivery boy while he goes about his job.

According to Hanebrink’s website -

The HANEBRINK Electric All-Terrain Vehicle is the evolution of the original, revolutionary HANEBRINK design, combining state-of-the art green technology with an on-demand hybrid electric system and the latest in bicycle technology. Crank the throttle and the 600 watt motor powers the HANEBRINK to speeds up to 20 mph. If you want to go faster, just start pedaling.

For $5500, the delivery boys could be equipped with a fast car or motorcycle. This then is aimed squarely at the leisure adventure seeker.

Hanebrink All-terrain Electric vehicle video

The eco bug has finally caught the South Africans. A hydrogen fuelled bike called ‘Ahi Fambeni’ (Tsonga for let’s go) is being developed at the Tshwane University of Technology. The bike promises to be the future of green transport in SA as the same concept will be extended to a trike and eventually to a car.

Buoyed by the success of e-bikes in China, the SA government is funding this project. They also inked a deal with Altergy Systems Corporation, a US company, to set up a fuel-cell manufacturing facility in South Africa.

The basic concept of a hydrogen fueled vehicle is that it mixes oxygen and hydrogen to create a clean source of energy. As there is no combustion, there are no exhaust gases and the only output is water. It was invented in the 1830’s but was never really a commercial success

This e-bike is designed by Pierre Terblanche, who was design director for Ducati from 1997 to 2007. So expect some Italian flair in the design!

Image – Honda Oree electric bike (for representation purpose only)

Source – iAfrica

Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha has unveiled its first electric scooter offering. The scooter christened the EC-03 is the first of a series of electric scooters which the manufacturer plans to launch in its home country of Japan.

Yamaha has designed the EC-03 on the philosophy of it being a ‘smart minimal commuter’. The EC-03 has a 50v Lithium-Ion battery pack supplied by Sanyo and is powered by a Yamaha Integrated Power Unit (YIPU).

The YIPU comprises a brushless DC motor, control unit and a planetary gear transmission system, all of which are integrated into the hub of the rear wheel of the scooter.

The YIPU of the EC-03 has power and torque outputs of 1.9 hp and 7.1lb-ft respectively. The scooter has a range of 43 kilometres alongwith a top speed of 30 kmph while having a 55 kg rider onboard. The EC-03′s batteries take six hours to attain a full charge. The EC-03 electric scooter weighs just 56 kgs, which is about 30 % of the weight of a conventional petrol powered 50 cc scooter.

Yamaha has started accepting bookings for the EC-03 electric scooter in Tokyo since July 15 and will start accepting bookings countrywide in Japan from September 15 2010. The company will put the EC-03 up for sale from September 1 in Tokyo and the rest of Japan can get their hands on it a month later.

Yamaha aims to become the market leader in electric motorcycles by the year 2020. The company aims to do so by expanding its presence in electric two-wheelers other than its home country of Japan by venturing into markets like China, Europe and Taiwan. India may not be on the company’s radar for now, but this could change as soon as the Indian two-wheeler matures and Indian customers are offered electric two-wheelers at wallet friendly price points.

Yamaha EC-03 Electric Scooter Official Promotional Video

Source - Auto Evolution

A guy by the name Santhosh, belonging to Mysore has earned the title of creator of the world’s smallest electric pocket bike. The pocket bike has been termed as the Moosshiqk, and it possesses an all-electric powertrain, with a battery as the main power source.

The Moosshiqk is 18 inches in length and has a height of 12 inches. It has a dry weight of 4 kg and has a top speed of between 12 and 15 kph. The Moosshiqk can be assembled or dismantled in less than a minute. The Moosshiqk also possesses the unique distinction of being the only electric pocket bike in the world, which can be ridden backwards as well.

Santhosh had also showcased his Moosshiqk electric pocket bike at the 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi.

For more information regarding the Moosshiqk, you can contact Santhosh at santhosh.bikes (at) gmail.com.

TVS Motor Company has temporarily halted the production of its one and only electric two-wheeler, the TVS Scooty Teenz Electric. The company has cited the reasons for this move as low demand and issues related with the vehicle’s battery. The company says it is working hard to resolve the issues that are plaguing the vehicle currently and will make the vehicle available as soon as possible.

H.S Goindi, Head of Sales, Service and Marketing, TVS Motor Company -

The Electric scooter business is not doing that well, so we produce vehicles only on an order basis. We are not focusing much on that, but it does not mean that we have stopped production totally. We are concentrating on motorcycles and mopeds at present.

This move to halt production due to issues that the vehicle is facing currently is a good one, considering TVS will now go back to the drawing board to permanently resolve these issues and ensure that this never happens again. But, TVS should have in the first place itself been careful while choosing the battery supplier and ensured that problems such as these never crop up.

Source – My Digital fc

Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India (HMSI) has plans to launch Eco-friendly scooters and motorcycles in the Indian market in the near future. The company wants to change the present structure of the two-wheeler market in India, and to achieve this, it might take the electric as well as hybrid two-wheelers route within the next 5-10 years.

Mr. Shinji Aoyoma, President and CEO, HMSI -

From our point of view, contributing to the Indian society is our top priority. We are growing our business and investing more but need to contribute more to the cause of safety and the environment. There is no perfect solution so far despite the Bharat Stage 3 emission norms. We, at HMSI, have to do something.

HMSI is not merely looking at sales figure and growth in the Indian two-wheeler market. It is also not too worried about the competition and the pressure it is facing in the market. It is looking at providing its Indian customers with products which are of the highest quality and which offer the best reliability, which will help them build their own pool of customers who buy or aspire to own their products.

HMSI’s strategy of changing the dynamics and perceptions of the great Indian two-wheeler market with electric, hybrid two-wheelers looks to be a strategy currently hanging in the balance. This strategy could prove to bear fruit in the long run, but it could also backfire. Is HMSI willing to take a chance and gamble with this strategy? If they do, they should be the trendsetters.

Source – Hindu Business Line

The maker of the electric two-wheelers YObykes, Electrotherm India Ltd (EIL) could be the first company in India to launch an electric motorcycle.

As per the resources the project is still in its initial phase and a lot of work still needs to be done. The technology required to develop the electric bike is already there with the company.The company is working on the chassis design of the bike and also upgrading the batteries to meet the power requirements of the motorcycle.

The bike will be manufactured at the company’s Kutch plant which has a capacity of manufacturing 2,88,000 annually.

However as per the resources the bike will not make it to the market within this year as lot of work has to be done in this project.

Source: sify.com

Image credit: Zero Motorcycles