Honda QC1 First journey Assessment: High-Priced Proposition?
Honda regulations India's scooter marketplace and its foray into the electrical mobility segment have been much awaited. Expectations have been to look at what the Japanese two-wheeler giant would deliver to this area after being the undisputed leader for the longest time now.
Last November, we were given two new products—the honda Activa e and QC1—as the logo's first electric scooters for India. We finally had the chance to test the brand new honda QC1, its maximum available electric-powered scooter on the market, in Bengaluru. Will Honda's new scooter be a marketplace disruptor? allows discovery.
Honda QC1 electric scooter evaluation: Honda's maximum sensible EV? | rate, variety, capabilities, ride satisfactory
Honda QC1: layout
The QC1 is compact. It is fairly larger than something like a Yulu final-mile mobility scooter and extra sizable too, but additionally considerably smaller than the entire-blow Activa e. It measures 1,826 mm in period, 701 mm in width, and 1,129 mm in peak. The wheelbase is compact at 1,275 mm. The ground clearance is first rate at 169 mm, at the same time as the curb weight is a mild 89.5 kg.
The honda QC1 mimics the styling on the new Activa e, albeit with extra compact proportions
Visually, the QC1 is like a shrunken model of the brand new Activa e. The layout is sort of identical, especially at the front with the LED headlamp however it misses out at the LED DRL at the top. The compact proportions provide it a smaller footprint but the design itself is clean with less difficult strains throughout. honda has finished properly with the close strains, paint end and plastics. the whole thing feels fundamental but robust at the equal time.
Honda QC1: Ergonomics
The ergonomics are simply proper at the QC1, in particular in case you are a person beneath 5'five". The scooter within reason available and has a big enough seat to accommodate two average-significantd adults effortlessly. it's not a spacious seat but will get the activity achieved over short distances. The floorboard isn't the most spacious and also you have a tendency to hit your knee at the handlebar around turns. For tall riders, i'd suggest searching somewhere else, given the compact proportions. For the rest, the QC1 will work simply great.
The below-seat garage space measures 26 litres and is first rate enough to keep a small bag and a few knick-knacks. there may be a further 1.5 litres of cubby space inside the inner apron which can keep a bottle or smartphone
Honda QC1: garage & features
The honda QC1 is greater realistic with 26 litres of beneath-seat storage area. It can not convey a full-face helmet but the area is deep enough to gobble a bag and a few knick-knacks. There are cubby areas of 1.5 litres every in the inner apron that in addition assist with additional garage potential. The characteristic list is instead fundamental with a type-C USB charging port and a 5-inch liquid crystal display device console. while the wallet PLATFORM' target='_blank' title='digital-Latest Updates, Photos, Videos are a click away, CLICK NOW'>digital console offers the fundamentals, it misses out on displaying the space-to-Empty variety and simplest offers the nation of rate of the battery as an alternative. you are left with calculating the kilometres left at the scooter, which isn't always outstanding when you have range anxiety.
The honda QC1 is brief enough for town runs and maintains up with other cars a good deal extra without problems. transfer to the same old mode to maximise performance from the BLDC motor (HT car/Mithilesh Kumar)
HondaQC1: performance
Powering the QC1 is a BLDC hub motor that makes about 1.eight kW (2.four bhp) and 77 Nm at the wheel. honda claims 0-40 kmph in nine.4 seconds whilst the top pace is restrained to 50 kmph. it is no longer categorised as a sluggish scooter that has a pace limit of 25 kmph, so that you will want a licence and helmet to ride the QC1 on public roads. performance isn't always superb however gets the activity accomplished. The throttle calibration is seamless and electricity shipping is clean all through. You get two driving modes - Eco and standard. The pinnacle speed is limited to 30 kmph in Eco, which goes up to 50 kmph in fashionable. Understandably, the throttle response is just too stupid inside the Eco mode and we're going to propose sticking to conventional to get the scooter kicking.
This is an application-driven supply, and performance isn't always speculated to be exciting. The QC1 is a hardcore commuter and has a no-nonsense method. Need to take it to the office or the grocery store? It'll do that without a fuss. The electric scooter is quick enough at speeds between 30 and 50 km/h and effortlessly keeps up with traffic within the metropolis. Hiking gradients is not too much of a project either, in particular flyovers, but a steep incline will take a bit of effort.
The QC1 is stable at the top speed; however, the ride is fine, particularly in the rear. Braking has true comments with a robust bite from the rear.
Honda QC1: Suspension and Braking
The QC1 is reasonably strong with telescopic forks up front and dual shocks on the rear. The journey quality is barely firm, especially on the rear, and going over broken patches of roads makes it obvious to your back. The scooter rides on a 12-inch alloy wheel at the front and a 10-inch unit on the rear wrapped in MRF tires that provide decent traction, but the smaller wheel does little to offer an opulent experience. We would've favored a softer setup, given a number of older oldsters could be interested in owning a practical town scooter like the QC1. Braking overall performance is respectable with modern comments on the front lever. The rear brake has a sturdy chunk and is even amusing to play around with. Alas, there is no regen braking to help improve range.
The 5-inch liquid crystal display console is easy and consumer-friendly but misses out on key facts, just like the distance to drain detail, which no longer assists with range anxiety.
Honda QC1: variety
Given the whole lot of decrease in pinnacle velocity, honda has ensured that you have a higher threat of hitting the claimed range of 80 km (IDC) on a single charge from its 1.5 kWh lithium-ion battery. This is, of course, in Eco mode and drops to 70 km within the standard mode. In the course of our test with the electric scooter, we managed to drain the battery all the way down to 11 percent, consistent with the course after finishing a bit over 41 km. To be truthful, we have been additionally competitive on the throttle for the most part. We assume a real international variety of around fifty-five km on a single price on the QC1. But, given a honda product, the expectation might be to deliver the equal continuously over a bigger span of its possession cycle.
With regard to charging, the honda QC1 does not have a quick charger compliance and springs with a 330-watt off-board charger. This translates to a charging time from 0-80 percent in four hours and half an hour, and 0-100 percent in hours and 30 minutes. It truly is quite steep for what's an alternative small battery percent. Realistically, you are looking at a single day charging day by day.
The limp mode restricts the top velocity to 27 km/h once the kingdom of charge drops to under 20 in keeping with cent. This must come up with a usable variety; however, greater readability on the console might've helped ease range tension. honda says it has incorporated automobile reduce-off once the rate is complete amongst different fail-safes to ensure maximum protection and no thermal runaway incidents.
The honda QC1 is expensive at ₹90,000 (ex-showroom, introductory), which positions it against different scooters just like the entry variations of the Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube e-scooters that offer extra price in contrast.
Honda QC1: Verdict
There are lots of factors i love about the QC1. it's easy to ride, and manoeuvre and has a no-nonsense sense to it. And there are sufficient clients accessible who need an electric powered scooter that does the basics and remains reliable. however, the honda QC1 is the logo's most available electric scooter at ₹90,000 (ex-showroom, introductory), which makes it greater steeply-priced than the honda Activa one hundred ten.
At this rate point, the scooter is not exactly fee-friendly and it's difficult for us to endorse one without difficulty. I do experience that QC1 should've been at the least ₹20,000 cheaper than what it's far presently and it would've made certain to draw a bigger patron base. however the current fee tag makes it compete with the bottom variants of the BajajChetak and TVSiQube, which arguably offer better cost for a marginal top rate. it is hard to advise the QC1 at this moment.
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