When you think of Bajaj, one of the first things that come to your mind is the classic Chetak scooter that made its way into the Indian household in the 70s and 80s. In that sense, Bajaj made itself synonymous with an average Indian’s needs. However, as times began to evolve, the 2-wheeler was soon phased out by flashier bikes from both, its parent company, and other companies too. Although Bajaj has launched flagship bikes like Pulsar and Avenger, none of them truly reached the iconic status that the Chetak had. That is, maybe until now. Bajaj recently revealed that they are planning to launch an electric scooter called Urbanite. Let us find out all about it!
Why do Indians need this upgrade?
In 2016, air pollution caused 4.2 million deaths all over the world. For the longest time, whenever one talked about air pollution, people pointed their fingers toward Beijing, a city with such poor air quality that an artist literally made bricks using the pollutants in the air. Now, however, India houses 10 highly polluted cities that featured on WHOs top 20 most polluted cities list, with Delhi topping the charts. Furthermore, Delhi also fared poorly when its pollution was compared with other major cities in the world.
According to doctors, the air quality in Delhi has been touching 999, which is the maximum number, and this has the effects of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. AIIMS has also reported seeing a 20% increase in patients with symptoms like wheezing, coughing, and respiratory congestion, all caused due to air pollution.
While China has begun to take measures to decrease air pollution, Indian officials are still trying to figure out where this issue lies on the totem pole.
In India, vehicles function as the ultimate status symbols, and most families now have more cars than they have people. This has not only lead to widespread congestion on the road, but also a staggering increase in air pollution levels. This is why it is imperative to big-name brands like Bajaj to bring electric automotive solutions to help clean the toxic air.
Bajaj’s future e-initiatives that we are excited about.
Apart from targeting launching Urbanite in 6-9 months, Bajaj plans to launch more e-initiatives, based on the response that it receives. They are currently working on electric auto-rickshaws. While this idea is not exactly new in the Indian market, it is one that certainly needs to be implemented at a more rapid pace.
They are also developing a quadricycle that will be battery powered and this product is rumored to be named Qute. However, the electric version of this will only be launched in a few years so if you’re expecting a launch that runs parallel to the Urbanite, that won’t happen.
The company will be looking to create a distributor network from scratch in order to get this product to everyone who is interested in it.
With pollution being a major crisis in India, we welcome these e-initiatives and hope that such automobiles become the norm for all drivers.
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