Bajaj has been doing well with the Chetak electric scooter range, having cemented its place as a stable second (after TVS, the leader) in the Indian market. However, Ather has been nipping at its heels. Where Bajaj has fallen a bit short is in terms of product offerings.
Till now, the Chetak had two product lines – the 3001 series and the 3500 series. They look visually identical, share the same wheelbase, and base platform. The key difference is that 3501/3502/3503 are the premium offerings. They get a 3.5 kWh battery, compared to the 3.0 kWh on the Chetak 3001. The 3501 also gets a touch TFT display, compared to a regular LCD on the other variants. Additionally, the 3501 features a slightly more powerful motor, although its top-speed claims remain the same.
While visually similar, there are internal differences, like how the battery is placed in the 3501 as compared to the 3001. However, the physicality of both the scooters has been the same, and they have been targeting the same use case and customer.
Enter Chetak 2501…with a Smaller Wheelbase
In comparison, the Chetak 2501, launched just a few days back, is a completely different scooter even though it maintains the ‘family’ look. It is much smaller, with the wheelbase reduced by 130 mm, to 1225 mm. A 10% reduction in wheelbase is not a modification to a platform; it is a completely new one. As a result of this reduction in wheelbase, the other dimensions also change comprehensively, and the 2501 is a more compact scooter compared to the 3001/3501.
Smaller…Everything
The battery pack is 2.5 kWh, and Bajaj claims a 113 km range. There is no app connectivity option. Top speed has never been the forte of the Chetak range, with Bajaj focusing on practicality rather than paper specs. The 3001/3501 scooters have a top speed of 63 kph, which can be improved to 73 kph if you buy a subscription to Bajaj’s software suite, the TecPac. In the case of the 2501, the top speed is only 55 kph, the motor being a 2.2 kW peak-rated hub motor. The other Chetak variants carry a side-mounted motor.
Metal Body
Like the other Chetak variants, the 2501 has an all-metal body, the only electric scooter range in India to have that. The jury is out on this, but some markets in India associate metal (compared to ABS) with durability, and old-school Bajaj is following tradition. The original ICE Chetaks in the 1980s were all metal, as they were monocoques based on Vespas.
Impact
The Chetak 2501 is important as every Bajaj competitor has a lower-priced variant on offer. TVS has introduced the Orbiter (ex-showroom INR 99,900 in Bengaluru), Ola has always had the S1X range, and Vida now has the VX2 range. In all cases, the second product opens the market wider and brings in more customers. That is likely to happen with the Chetak range as well, as the 2501 is smaller in size, less capable, and is priced at INR 87100 (ex-showroom Bengaluru). The rest of the range starts at nearly INR 100,000.
The Second Product Line: Bajaj Does it Differently
Everyone else in the Indian market has been introducing a second line at a lower price to bring in more customers. However, Bajaj’s approach has been different. The TVS Orbiter is a different scooter and platform than the iQube. However, it is physically a bigger scooter, targeted at the utility segment.
Ola has the S1X, targeted again at the utility segment. However, it is little more than a decontented S1 Pro with cost-cutting in every bit.
Vida’s VX2 is a slightly different scooter than the V2, but again relies on decontenting to drive prices down.
Ather has the Rizta range, though we would not like to include it here. Physically, it is a much bigger scooter than the 450 rang,e even though priced lower and targeted to a different audience and at a lower price point.
Bajaj, in turn, has decided to go smaller, seemingly targeted at a younger audience and at solo riders.
For reference, USD 1 equals INR 90.7 as we write this.