An electric vehicle plan is quickly becoming vital for all automobile manufacturers, given the rapidly evolving stands taken by global manufacturers and the threat of ‘bulldozing’ the industry by the Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, Nitin Gadkari . In a recent interview with Livemint, Bajaj Auto MD, Rajiv Bajaj, has revealed that the company is working on a new niche brand within the company named Urbanite. As Bajaj puts it, Urbanite will aim to, ‘do a Tesla in the two-wheeler space.’ What we can take from Rajiv Bajaj’s statements is that Urbanite will be very different from the flood of low-cost, electric two-wheelers entering our market. This is a good thing as most EVs today have dangerously low performance for use on our chaotic streets and often feel as cheap as their prices suggest. Instead, we see Urbanite acting as a more premium rival to the likes of the upcoming S340 smart electric scooter from Bengaluru-based start-up, Ather Energy, and also upcoming the T6X electric motorcycle from Pune-based Tork Motorcycles.
So what could we expect from Urbanite in 2020? According to the Livemint article, Urbanite will focus on premium two-wheelers and even three-wheelers. We do wonder where a premium electric three-wheeler will fit in India, but as for a two-wheeler, the options are numerous; a logical possibility could be around a premium motorcycle along the lines of the Tork T6X. Another possibility is an electric scooter to take on the likes of the Ather S340. This is less likely though, as Bajaj has avoided the scooter business for many years; but perhaps an electric drivetrain might change that. Time will tell.