Bajaj Auto has swung into action after a Chetak electric scooter was found burning at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (called Aurangabad previously), in Maharashtra. A local Bajaj dealer whisked the electric scooter away to a service center to figure out what really happened. The company immediately launched an investigation into the Chetak fire, and has come up with some preliminary findings.
According to Bajaj Auto, the battery was safe and not involved in the fire. The electric motor was also found to be safe, and Bajaj has indicated that there was not thermal runaway (term given for a battery catching fire and burning uncontrollably until all the combustible material in it is exhausted). The fire is said to have originated in a plastic part on the scooter. Bajaj is also carrying out an in-depth investigation to figure what caused the fire.
Bajaj Auto, through its Chetak electric sub-brand has sold over 3 lakh units of the Chetak EV, and this is the first recorded instance of a Chetak catching fire. In the past, both the TVS iQube and the Ola S1 range of electric scooters have been involved in a few fire incidents. All three scooters compete with each other with Ola’s S1 range narrowly leading the iQube and Chetak in terms of sales numbers.
On the 20th of December, Bajaj Auto will launch an updated version of the Chetak electric scooter. The updated Chetak is expected to get a slightly larger battery, and higher range. New colour schemes and features could also be introduced in the updated Chetak. Top speed is also likely to go up.
Currently, there are 3 major variants of the Chetak electric scooter on sale. The base variant is called 2903 and uses a 2.9 kWh battery while the mid variant – known as 3202 – uses a 3.2 kWh battery. The top-end variant is called the Premium, and comes with more features than the lower trims.
A unique selling proposition for the Chetak EV is its metal body. While every other electric scooter sold in India features a fiber body, the metal body of the Chetak makes it a preferred buy among those who want the sturdiness associated with a metal body. Older folks, who have owned Bajaj Auto’s two stroke Chetak scooter are among the buyers of the electric variant, mainly because it comes with a metal body.
While the current version of the Chetak has a limited range and top speed compared to what the competition offers, this doesn’t seem to be turning buyers off. The Chetak continues to sell in large numbers, and in the first week of December 2024, has outsold both the Ola S1 range and the TVS iQube. The high reliability and sturdy build are two main selling points of the Chetak EV, with buyers willing to overlook the lower range and top speed.
Bajaj Auto retails the Chetak through a dedicated dealership line called Chetak. The idea behind having dedicated dealerships for its electric vehicles is to project the Chetak as a separate brand, and develop it further. This is an approach that we’ve seen with Hero MotoCorp as well, which has set up the Vida range of electric scooter dealerships.
Recently, Honda entered the electric scooter market by unveiling the Activa:e and the Activa QC1. Both electric scooters will be commercially launched in January 2025, followed by phased deliveries starting from Bengaluru, and then moving to Mumbai, Delhi, and later to the rest of India.
