Exciting But Far From Unexpected
Electric motorcycles are really starting to make headway and that means that some of the bigger names in the industry should be throwing their name in the electric motorcycle hat soon. Suzuki is the latest according to various Indian media outlets, including Gaadi Waadi, the company will be putting out an electric scooter.
The company recently teamed up with the other Big Four Japanese brands to work on swappable battery technology. The rumor is that the new scooter could come in 2021. The company could utilize the carmaker Maruti Suzuki’s charging station infrastructures.
What exactly the scooter will be still seems to be up in the air still. I would expect it to be a bike focused on commuting. Nobody had totally figured out how to package a long-range electric motorcycle quite right. I don’t think Suzuki will be butting out a long-range electric scooter. It would make more sense for the company to put out a lower-range scooter with swappable batteries.
It will be interesting to see what Suzuki creates for the Indian market and if it does indeed come out in 2021. If the company can get something at a reasonable price it could have a really good option on its hands.
I really don’t understand all of the hype surrounding electric motorcycles and I owned and loved the Honda Pacific Coast. Most riders want something that is quite mechanical. A lot of them strip the mufflers off to make them louder and lighter is better. Electric does none of that. To each their own, I guess.
Many people are getting concerned about the consequences of their enjoyment of their hobby versus use of fossil fuel fuel, the carbon footprint, the impact of fossil fuel extraction and combustion etc. If you are concerned about these things, and you want to keep riding your bikes and not feel like you’re contributing to the problem, electric is your only other option at this time
Alan, you obviously haven’t ridden any electric PTWs yet. I suggest you do, then you might understand the attraction. (I have ridden more than anyone you’re ever likely to meet, but I still ride conventional bikes and scooters too.).
I keep seeing people say what “most” riders want.
How do any of us know this? In my experience, most scooter riders don’t do such things, and an electric scooter would be ideal for them in many ways.
“Most riders”, to me, seems like a replacement for what we want/prefer/believe individually. Maybe it’s a reflection of a tendency to be around others with similar desires, so what we as individuals want does end up being what most people – that we associate with – want.
I can imagine in places that deal with tangibly bad air quality (like some places in India), an electric scooter would appeal to many folks.