Bajaj Chetak, the debutant electric product from the brand has been recently launched in India at a starting price tag of INR 1 lakh (ex-showroom). The first-ever e-scooter features a neo-retro design language while is available to the customer in two variants namely: Urbane and Premium. Bajaj is a company that has grown to become a mainstream 2-wheeler brand to enter the electric space with the Chetak nameplate that has been resurrected after 14 years. Here are 5 must-know facts about the all-new Bajaj Chetak electric scooter.
New Bajaj Chetak Electric Scooter
5 Must-Know Facts About the Urbanite e-Scooter
1) Reincarnation of Chetak Brand Name – Bajaj Chetak used to be one of the most popular Made-in-India scooters in its era, which lost its business in the race to compete with the new entry-level 100cc bikes, due to which the company stopped the production in 2005. But the recent updates have been pleasant as India’s favourite two-wheeler marked its come back on October 16, 2019, and the brand will officially commence the deliveries of the recently launched e-scooter from the end of January 2020.
2) First Mainstream 2-Wheeler Brand to Launch an Electric Scooter – With the unveiling of the new Chetak, Bajaj Auto has become the 1st mainstream two-wheeler brand to launch an all-electric scooter. It is a proud product that has been developed in India while Bosch played a small role in the development. The all-new Bajaj Chetak is equipped with an IP67-rated high-tech lithium-ion battery with Nickel Cobalt Aluminium Oxide (NCA) cells.
The battery that is present in the Bajaj electric scooter is not swappable but can be charged with a 5 to 15-ampere electric outlet. The recent launch of this electric scooter in the Indian market has made it one of the premium offerings from the brand which rivals against the likes of Okinawa scooters, Hero Electric, Ather Energy, Ampere Electric Vehicles, Kymko 22 scooters, and a host of other new and upcoming electric scooters.
3) Unique Design and Feature-Rich – The new Bajaj Chetak electric scooter has two different modes – one is Eco and the other is Sport. It has an on-board Intelligent Battery Management System (IBMS), which controls charge and discharge, and there’s also regenerative braking and offers a maximum speed of 60km/h. In the Eco mode, on a single charge, it offers a range of around 95km while the sport mode offers a range of 85km.
In terms of looks, the new Bajaj Chetak electric scooter has a robust appeal and it stands tall with a neo-retro design. It is loaded with modern functionalities including security, parameter monitoring, while it is also expected to have a dedicated app that will offer the riders with information like ride history, battery status, remaining charge, etc.
The new Bajaj Chetak draws certain similarities with the Vespa Elettrica and the Vespa GTS 300 in many ways. The scooter has a fully-digital instrument cluster that comes with Bluetooth connectivity. The Chetak urbane is available to the customers in Citrus Rush and Cyber White colour options while the Chetak Premium is available in Velluto Rosso, Indigo Metallic, Hazelnut and Brooklyn Black colour variants.
4) Key Technical Specifications – Powering the Bajaj Chetak is a 4kW electric motor mated to an IP67 rated lithium-ion battery that is capable of generating maximum power of 5.47HP and a peak torque of 16Nm.
The 2020 Bajaj Chetak scooter comes with two riding modes – Eco and Sport, with a total range of 95km and 85km respectively. These figures were achieved through real-world testing that took place in Pune city.
The new electric scooter also has regenerative braking through an intelligent braking system that converts braking heat into kinetic energy to maximize the range. The company has taken a unique route of using a swingarm-mounted motor that sends power to the rear wheel through a high-efficiency automated gearbox.
The front suspension has a single-sided trailing arm unit that appears to have Coilover setup with an exposed external spring whereas the rear end gets a monoshock suspension.
For the safety of the rider, the new Bajaj Chetak electric scooter has been equipped with a front disc brake on the Premium variant while the Urbane variant has been equipped with a drum brake setup at the front. The engine is mated to a CBS (Combined Braking System) as standard. The 12-inch alloy wheels of the scooter are wrapped in tubeless-type 90/90-section MRF Zapper K-tyres.
5) Price Range and Availability – The Bajaj Chetak electric scooter has been launched in India in two variants: Urbane and Premium. The base Urbane variant is currently available in Pune and Bangalore at an ex-showroom price tag of INR 1 lakh while the more elegant and feature-rich Premium variant is available at an ex-showroom price tag of INR 1.15 lakh.
The Chetak e-scooter is available for bookings at the product’s official website at a token amount of INR 2000 while the customers can also visit the select KTM dealerships in Pune and Bangalore to avail the scooter conventionally.
