Upon its launch, the electric scooter from Suzuki will compete against rivals like Ather 450X, Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube and Ola S1
Like many other automakers, Suzuki has been investing its time and resources in developing an electric two-wheeler for the Indian market. The company has been testing a prototype that could be the brand’s first electric scooter in the country for more than a year now.
This scooter, which is speculated to be a fully electric derivative of Burgman 125, has been spied testing once again recently. The latest spy shots have been clicked by automotive enthusiast Saubhagya Vasdev. The electric scooter looks very familiar to Burgman Street 125 in terms of look.
Suzuki Electric Scooter Spied
Like in previous instances, the test was completely undisguised and wore a dual-tone paint scheme with blue and white colours. Biggest highlight from the recent spy images is the absence of an exhaust canister which is clearly visible. It also features a grey sleeve around the footboard which offers a visual distinction. Overall exterior appearance of the test mule is very similar to conventional scooters- both petrol and battery-powered.
However, as per patents leaked earlier last year, it features a unique set of internal mechanics. Conventional scooters in EV space usually feature an electric motor and swingarm as a combined unit or take another approach of mounting the motor on the hub of the rear wheel. This allows freeing up space within the chassis to create more room for luggage or larger batteries.
In this case, however, patents have revealed a unique design where a drivetrain is located in the under-seat area connected to a motor via a chain drive setup. Rest of the electric scooter’s electronics are mounted on top of the motor along with a speed controller, transformer and battery.
Other visual highlights
Additionally, the reflector is now re-positioned above the registration plate as opposed to below the plate. It also gets a rear tyre hugger for better protection and a digital instrument console, which might feature Bluetooth connectivity as well as 4G LTE. This allows for smartphone connectivity as well as connected features.
Most visual details from the electric scooter have been carried forward from Burgam Street 125 though there are very noticeable variations. For starters, a single-sided shock absorber in Burgman is replaced by twin shock absorbers at rear – probably to carry additional weight of lithium-ion battery pack. Like Burgman Street, the battery-powered scooter features a similar set of alloy wheels and a chunky grab rail for pillion.
Suzuki hasn’t yet revealed any official word on its EV program in India. We expect the upcoming electric scooter to feature a powertrain comprising a 3-4kWh battery pack and a 4-6 kW electric motor. Its exact launch timeline isn’t confirmed yet, we expect Suzuki to officially unveil this upcoming electric scooter sometime later this year. Honda, TVS, Yamaha, Hero are other major two wheeler brands which have plans to launch electric scooter in India.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
