As India moves away from gasoline and diesel cars to cleaner electric vehicles, car companies are spending a lot of money to develop new electric cars. Honda is one of the biggest makers of electric scooters in India.
However, Honda has yet to launch an electric vehicle in India. This may change soon, as the Japanese automaker has filed two new trademark applications in India.
Honda has filed two new trademarks in India: iM and iM1 e: which are likely to be the names of its upcoming electric two-wheelers. Honda is developing a fully electric version of its popular Activa scooter.
Earlier this year, Honda would be launching two electric scooters in India. It was believed that one of these scooters would be called the Activa, but it now appears that Honda will use the two new brands it has pointed for the individual models. These new electric scooters are expected to be launched in India next year.
Honda's new electric scooters will be built on a dedicated EV platform called Platform E. As previously reported, one of these models could be a mid-range scooter with a fixed battery, while the other could be a long-range scooter with a swappable battery.
The former is expected to be an affordable, entry-level offering from Honda, while the latter is expected to compete with premium electric scooters with high performance and range.
The factory, called Factory E, will make 1 million cars every year by 2030. Honda will buy batteries and power control units from Indian companies to make its electric cars cheaper.