The Husqvarna E-01 electric scooter will have Europe as its primary market
A leaked internal document has thrown light on short term plans of KTM and its sister brand Husqvarna. The latter is clearly gearing up to establish a strong presence in the affordable electric two wheeler segment. Husqvarna is planning two EVs in the next two years and both of them will have strong Indian connection.
Husqvarna E-01 and Bajaj Chetak
According to the leaked document, a Husqvarna branded electric scooter named E-01 and a motorcycled called E-Pilen are currently under development. The 4 kW electric urban runabout will be launched in 2021. While there are no further details about the Husqvarna E-01, we think it will be based on the Bajaj Chetak electric scooter’s platform. For the uninitiated, Bajaj Auto holds 48% stake in KTM which in turn owns Husqvarna.
The Indian e-scooter also employs a 4 kW motor making it a viable platform for the Husqvarna scooter to adopt. It also comes with modern connectivity features that a premium offering like E-01 is expected to incorporate.
Bajaj Auto’s Chakan production facility has already established itself as a global production base for sub-500 cc KTM and Husqvarna road-bikes. Taking advantage of the Chetak’s Indian vendor base and Bajaj’s cost-effective production operations is a no-brainer for Husqvarna.
Design
If the thumbnail image of the Husqvarna Electric scooter shown on the leaked image is to be taken as a reference, the premium urban electric scooter will have an edgy concept-like styling. The image does not detail the suspension system of the scooter but we expect the production version to employ telescopic front forks and single-sided rear shock absorber.
The wheels are also expected to be conventional alloy units with front and rear disc brakes. Being a premium product primarily targeted at Europe, the Husqvarna E-01 will be packed with features such as dual-channel ABS, a color instrument console (probably even a touchscreen), smartphone connectivity and so on.
India Launch
As we said before, the Husqvarna E-01 is most likely to borrow the Bajaj Chetak’s 4 kW / 16 Nm electric motor and 4.08 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Husqvarna may opt to offer a higher capacity battery pack for an increased range. The Chetak has a claimed range of 95 kms. Top speed is a little over 60 kmph.
Being made in India does not automatically guarantee that that the Husqvarna E-01 will be sold in domestic market. However, the future of premium electric scooter segment in India appears promising and Husqvarna would do well to be one of the early entrants.
