Deer in the headlights: Honda's e:2W plans
By going slow, Honda has allowed Chinese and Indian start-ups to leap-frog ahead. As the Japanese giant wakes up, is the market evolving too fast for Honda?
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Honda's e: 2W plans
Honda controls 35-percent of the global two-wheeler market. Yet, when it comes to electric two-wheelers, the Japanese brand has been slow. Is it just them being typically Japanese, or have they been deliberately lazy?
Where is the Innovation?
For a new technology area, the E2W world is sadly starved of innovation. That may be a controversial statement but we feel most E2W manufacturers are focused more on pretend-innovative than actually being innovative
Around the bend comes Benda
Heritage machines are never about numbers. Riders seek an emotional connection with them. So if a new brand focuses on industrial design to get eyeballs and target that emotional connection, more power to them. Also, that may be a good template for electric motorcycle manufacturers to follow.
Electric and Offroad - Part Deux
How fast can a nascent market get crowded? We see that happening already with many startups developing electric motocrossers. Agreed that this is a promising format but overcrowding always means some will sink.
Electric and Off-Road
The motocrosser/trial format is the best fit for electric powertrains. You need high torque, yet ride shorter distances and for shorter time-periods. A perfect match, but are we overdoing it?
BodaBodas Part Deux
With more highly populated African countries enhancing power generation and cleaning up their grids, electric mobility is finding a natural fit against high-cost oil. The BodaBodas open a huge market, potentially worth USD 7.5 bn
Electrifying the BodaBodas
Often, in the haste to go electric, we force-fit electric mobility to the ecosystem. However, it should be the other way around, and the ecosystem should dictate the suitability of electric mobility. Once we do things the right way, Africa emerges as an unexpected shining star for E2Ws