Through an uncertain FY21, Bajaj Chetak electric scooter sales reach 1.4k units
Being competitive in the electric two-wheeler segment is currently a small number game. For starters not everyone is participating yet. However, this doesn’t paint a complete picture. Grassroot level efforts are most oft not widely discussed, and patterns being enforced maybe difficult to understand.
Nevertheless, the space will prove to be an exciting one as the push for electric vehicle adoption receives a timely impetus. For now, subsidy and rebate options exist under government policies if the vehicle qualifies as per set parameters.
In India, both Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor are playing the electric scooter game through flagship models. Bajaj brought back its Chetak scooter in an all new electric avatar. Its the only electric vehicle in the company’s current portfolio. And TVS introduced iQube.
Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube
There is no historic data when it comes to checking progress or growth on account of both e-ecooters being fairly new launches. And both were launched only months before Covid-19 pandemic rocked our world. Given that one can understand that sales plans and growth plans have all but gone awry. When sales came to an abrupt end in March, companies were only able to pick up on some activity in June.
Through trials and tribulations when a trying fiscal ended, Bajaj Chetak came out n top at just under 1.4k unit sales. TVS iQube sales were clocked at 1,110 units. What’s interesting though is in March 2021, TVS managed to report iQube wholesales at a whopping 355 units. However given how logistics works, it’s most likely that both companies are still dealing with clearing the order books that were filled months earlier.
Electric scooter market
When launched early in 2020, Bajaj Chetak bookings were said to be at 2k units. Even through the fiscal, the company has failed to sell that many units. And through the fiscal ended Match 2021, Bajaj has entertained bookings and has had periods where they haven’t accepted any.
Where development and sales is concerned, Bangalore proves to be an important city for electric two wheeler manufacturers. The initial push came from Ather, which is associated with Hero Motocorp. The two wheeler manufacturing giant also sells its own electric scooters through its Hero Electric arm.
Delhi has proven to be another important city in this regard. These set patterns can help determine that city based focus will mean that one can expect a more developed charging network in such focus cities. Bajaj Chetak sales will soon begin in Hyderabad and Chennai.