SILENT RIDE, LOUD DOUBTS

The Activa e: and the QC1 will change your perception about electric vehicles... in a way that you probably didn’t expect

- By Manaal Mahatme

Electric vehicles are almost always received with a lot of skepticism, aren’t they? Will there be enough range? Will it support fast charging? Will the brand set up charging infrastructure? Will it be reliable? And lastly, will it be affordable? Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India took care of (almost) everything with its new pair of electric scooters — the Activa e: and the QC1. Yet, if you are looking to buy one, you'll rip your hair off before finally making a decision.

At ₹ 90,000 (ex-showroom, Bengaluru), the QC1 is the affordable one, and a quick look at the spec sheet will tell you why. Don’t get me wrong; Honda hasn’t cut corners in the quality of the e-scooter, but the battery and motor specifications aren't all that impressive. The 50-kph top speed is fine for this scooter’s intended audience, which apparently happen to be young first-time riders and older ones who need a runabout in the city.

But even then, the lack of decent initial acceleration in Economy mode means you'll have to stick to the slowest lane, and the top speed of 30 kph in this mode will automatically ensure you do that. In Standard mode, the initial acceleration is slightly better, but even then it is borderline hazardous for you and the vehicles around if you make the brave decision of veering into the faster lanes.