A total of 197 units of the Bajaj Chetak electric scooter were produced in January 2020
Bajaj Auto launched the new Chetak electric scooter in India in January 2020. It marked the company’s foray into the electric vehicle segment and though bookings have opened and 197 units have also been produced from the company’s Chakan plant, deliveries had not started until now. The first batch of the e-scooter is going to Pune and Bangalore.
Bajaj Chetak is presented in two variants and 6 colour options. The Premium variant is priced at Rs 1.15 lakh while the Urbane trim carries a price tag of Rs 1 lakh. The figures are ex-showroom. The Chetak is being launched in a phased manner with the Premium variant making an initial entry, followed by the Urbane variant from May 2020. The electric scooter is being sold via existing ‘Probiking’ networks with KTM. The pricing of the electric scooter includes FAME II subsidy offered by the Government of India for EVs.
The new Bajaj Chetak faces competition from the Ather 450, TVS i-Qube and Okinawa Praise in India. It is powered by a Bosch-developed 4kW motor offering 16Nm torque while coupled to an IP67-rated 3kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Charging time via a 5-15 ampere electric socket is considerably long. Only 25 per cent can be achieved in one hour while charging up to 80 per cent takes around 3.5 hours. 100 per cent charge can be achieved in about five hours. The emission-free Bajaj Chetak also receives two riding modes: Eco and Sport. Depending on the mode, the claimed range changes to 95km and 85km, respectively.
The Bajaj Chetak is set apart from other electric scooters in the market with the use of metal bodywork instead of fibre. Notable features of the modern-day Chetak include a digital instrument console, full-LED lighting, Bluetooth connectivity with smartphone sync for live tracking and statistics, etc.
The electric scooter also boasts of keyless starting. The suspension duties are done by a tubular single-sided unit at the front and a traditional monoshock at the rear (with single-sided cast-aluminium swingarm). The Chetak electric rides on 12-inch wheels. The braking department includes a disc brake at the front and regular drum brake at the rear.
Warranty on the Bajaj Chetak electric scooter stands at 3 years/50,000 km. The comes alongside the brand’s three-year free servicing policy. Though deliveries were delayed a bit, Bajaj Auto could gather an appreciable number of takers for its first try in the field of mass-production electric two-wheelers.
