Two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto has launched the next-generation model of its popular electric scooter in the Indian market on December 20. The company has introduced the updated Chetak 35 series with cosmetic changes and mechanical upgrades.
The updated Bajaj Chetak uses a new chassis frame, with the battery pack placed under the floorboard. With this, the e-scooter will now get 35 liters of under seat space. It now has a larger battery pack of 3.5kWh. The company claims that the new electric scooter will offer a range of 153 km on a full charge.
The new Chetak electric scooter 35 series will be manufactured at the Bajaj plant in Akurdi, Pune, the plant that first started production of Chetak scooters in 1972.
Price starts from Rs 1.20 lakh The Chetak 35 series e-scooter is the top series in the company's EV lineup. It has been launched in three variants – 3501, 3502 and 3503. The Chetak 3501 is priced at Rs. 1,27,243 (ex-showroom, Bangalore), while the 3502 is priced at Rs. 1,19,999 (ex-showroom, Bangalore). While, the price of Chetak 3503 has not been announced.
Bajaj has not revealed the price of the tech-pack for the Chetak 35 series. The tech pack available with the current Chetak model is priced at Rs 5,000. The company is offering a 3 year/50,000 km warranty with the new Chetak. The Chetak 35 series will compete with electric scooters like Vida V2, Aether Rizta, Ola S1 Pro and TVS iCube.
Bajaj has expanded its dealership to 507 cities and the scooter can also be purchased from e-commerce platforms Amazon and Flipkart. Its booking has been started on the official website. The company has said that deliveries of the 3501 will begin from the end of this month.
Bajaj Chetak 3501 is available in five color options – Brooklyn Black, Pistachio Green, Hazel Nut, Indigo Metallic Blue and Matte Red.
Design: 80mm long seat will be available for comfort seating. The company said that the new Chetak scooter may be similar to the old model, but with several technical changes. The platform of the scooter has also been changed. The new platform also changes the control system, motor panel, battery position and its structure. This scooter offers better range, storage space and comfort than before.
The new Bajaj Chetak 35 series e-scooter features a front horseshoe-shaped LED DRL, a retro-style design with chrome elements and a sloping tail section. The 35 series has an 80mm longer seat compared to other variants. The e-scooter now has a larger floorboard, which provides more knee room than before. Due to this, the wheelbase has also increased by 25mm to 1,350mm.
The Chetak 35 series e-scooter is built on a new platform.
The Chetak 35 series e-scooter will have 35 liters of storage under the seat
Performance: Top speed of 73kmph and range of 153km Chetak 35 series has an electric motor for performance. The company has not yet given information about its exact power. The company claims that the 3501 and 3502 models of the e-scooter can achieve a top speed of 73kmph. Whereas, the 3503 will get a top speed of 63kmph.
To power the electric motor, a new 3.5kWh battery pack has been provided, which is the largest battery ever in a Chetak. The company claims that once the scooter is fully charged, it will get an IDC certified range of 153km and an actual range of 120-125km.
The 3501 model will have a 950W onboard charger, which can charge the battery pack from 0-80% in just 3 hours. At the same time, a 950W offboard charger is available in the 3502, which can charge the scooter from 0-80% in 3:25 hours.
Features: Map Navigation and Auto Hill Hold Talking about the features, the Bajaj Chetak 3501 has a new TFT touch display. Features like map navigation, smart phone connectivity, key fob (remote lock/unlock) and eco riding mode are available as standard. Advanced safety features like Auto Hill Hold will also be available on both the EV variants.
For more features, you have to buy the Tech-Pack, which gets you an additional riding sports mode. In addition, full smartphone connectivity features will be available, including geo-fencing, sequential blinkers, guide me home lights, towing alert, trip and data analytics and over-speed alert with speed limit settings.
The 3502 variant has a TFT display, but is not touch enabled and has turn-by-turn navigation. This variant does not have a key fob and instead gets a mechanical key and only Eco Ride mode. The Tac-Pack has the same features as the 3501, but lacks the sequential indicator and on-board document storage facility.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
