Honda India’s Activa e has been praised for its ride quality but criticized for limited access, right now, it can only be charged at Honda’s battery-swapping stations, mostly found in Bengaluru.
Mumbai and Delhi have just a handful. That’s about to change, says a new report, inspired by Europe’s CUV e model which could bring home charging to Indian buyers.
How Europe Does It: CUV e’s Charging Dock
In Europe, Honda’s CUV e rides on a setup nearly identical to India’s Activa e two removable batteries (1.3 kWh each). Users simply plug each pack into a smart dock, charging to 100% in about six hours. A 25–75% top-up takes just three hours, all powered by a 270 W off-board charger.
Compare that to India’s Activa e: two 1.5 kWh packs (totaling 3 kWh). If a similar dock arrives, it can charge both packs at home no need to hunt down scarce swap stations.
What It Means for Indian Riders
Greater convenience: Imagine charging at home, your apartment, or office, no range anxieties on daily chores.
More reach: With over 83 swapping stations in Bengaluru, just 10 in Delhi, and a few in Mumbai, many buyers have been held back by infrastructure limits.
Battery ownership shift: Activa e is currently a BaaS (Battery-as-a-Service) model, consumers subscribe and don’t keep the battery. With home charging, ownership models could evolve.
Exclusive Insight: What Honda Could Improve With Docking
- Battery health control: Home docking supports gradual charging profiles. Swapping can stress batteries via fast charging cycles. A dock might improve battery longevity by ~20%.
- Cost savings for users: Removing dependency on swaps (₹50–₹100 per swap) and paying for home electricity (~₹6/unit) could save an estimated ₹2,000 annually for typical 30 km/day users.
- Faster city expansion: If Honda bundles charging docks, they can delay the slow rollout of public swapping station, making Activa e more appealing in metro regions immediately.
Also Read: June 2025 EV Sales Report: TVS, Bajaj, Ola, Ather, Hero
Can India Copy Europe? Yes, But…
Honda has been cautious citing concerns over home wiring safety, voltage fluctuations, and user handling (Cartoq). Still, a dock offers a safer alternative to tap into existing domestic electricity infrastructure.
EV Market Context: Honda Can’t Wait
India’s EV scooter sales jumped 32% YoY in June 2025, totaling over 1.14 million units sold last year. Brands like TVS and Bajaj (together holding nearly 46% market share) offer home charging and strong after-sales networks. Meanwhile, Ola’s share fell from 47% to 19% last year. Honda needs to catch up fast.
If Honda India brings the CUV e’s dock-based charger to the Activa e, it’ll fix one of the biggest adoption roadblocks: charging convenience. Riders would no longer be tethered to swap stations and could simply charge overnight at home. That means more coverage in growth markets like Delhi NCR and Mumbai.
Also, by adopting docking, Honda could reduce battery degradation by ~20%, and help urban commuters save ~₹2,000 annually, creating a genuine value difference over petrol and other EV choices.
This guy loves to break down Ola, Ather, and iQube news faster than your scooter charges. He reports EV scooter news with more drama than a daily soap. From Ola’s app bugs to iQube’s silent updates, he covers it all. Expect range anxiety, but never content anxiety!