Rising fuel prices, coupled with increased FAME-II subsidy can boost EV sales
After revealing Fascino 125 FI Hybrid earlier this month, Yamaha Motor has indicated towards the possible launch of an electric scooter in the Indian market. If that plan becomes a reality, Yamaha will join the list of mainstream two wheeler manufacturers who have dedicated all-electric products.
As of now, Bajaj and TVS are the only established auto manufacturers to launch electric two wheelers. Majority of the electric two wheeler segment is still dominated by startups and tech companies.
Yamaha evaluating India’s EV policy
Yamaha has stated that an electric scooter for the Indian market is definitely on the cards. However, a lot will depend on India’s EV policy. Yamaha expects the EV policy to have special schemes that will facilitate faster adoption of EV technology. The policy should also have dedicated provisions that will encourage rapid development of EV infrastructure.
According to Ravinder Singh, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, India Yamaha Motor, the company is already working on developing an all-new electric two wheeler platform. This will be utilized in India as well as several other global markets. Yamaha already sells the EC-05 electric scooter in Taiwan. It has been developed in collaboration with Taiwan-based Gogoro Inc.
In the EV segment, things like pricing and range are quite important. In addition to these, Yamaha said that its major concern is about EV infrastructure. The company feels that developing infrastructure is a much greater challenge, as compared to other bottlenecks.
There’s an urgent need to augment battery production, build charging stations and develop battery swapping hubs. Until these are readily available, most EV users will face challenges on the road. Yamaha said that once the EV roadmap is clearly defined in the country, it will think about launching an all-new electric scooter in India.
Fascino 125 FI Hybrid
With hybrid version of Fascino, Yamaha is on track to enter the EV space in India. Along with Fascino, RayZR Hybrid will also be launched soon. These scooters are equipped with a mild-hybrid technology in the form of a new Smart Motor Generator (SMG) system. What it does is add some extra power at the time when the scooter starts to move forward from stop position.
SMG ensures smooth acceleration at start, providing better control to the rider. The power boost is stopped automatically after specific pre-set criteria are met. With the SMG system in place, the engine’s fuel efficiency has improved by around 16%. Fascino Hybrid will be using the same engine as earlier, a 125 cc unit that makes 8.2 bhp / 9.7 Nm. With SMG, torque output will increase to 10.3 Nm, whenever needed.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
