Bajaj Auto has applied for a new trademark in India for the name ‘Freerider’, as per the listing on the Patent Design and Trademark website of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The company had applied for the trademark on March 1, 2021 and it has already been approved by June 21. There is no concrete information about where the company will use the newly registered trademark. According to the information, the company can use this new name in its upcoming electric bike.
According to few media reports, Freerider is expected to use the same electric powertrain as that of Husqvarna E-Pilen concept. E-Pilen is equipped with an 8kW (10.73 bhp) electric motor. Details about power output are yet to be revealed. The motorcycle will have a range of around 100 km, which should be sufficient for city needs. To take care of range anxiety, E-Pilen will be equipped with swappable batteries. It is apparent that the company will be focusing on developing the necessary infrastructure to sustain its electric two wheelers.
Bajaj Freerider may hit the markets sooner than expected. That’s because Bajaj has been collaborating with KTM, whose parent company is same as of E-Pilen, for developing a common electric platform. It is expected to spawn multiple electric two wheelers in the range of 3kW to 10kW. Most of these will be using a 48v electric system.
Bajaj has also filed a trademark in the name of Bajaj Floor and Bajaj Floor in India a few months back. According to the reports, the company will also use these names in its electric two wheeler. The company has registered this new trademark under the two wheeler, motorcycle, scooter, three wheeler and four wheeler listing in the description box in the patent document. According to which it is being speculated that the company will use this new name only for its electric scooter or bike.
Bajaj’s line-up of electric vehicles currently includes the company’s electric scooter Chetak. The scooter has been a huge hit in the Indian market, but due to reasons like limited production capacity and availability, it is facing a shortage. Recently, after some amendments made in the FAME-2 policy of the Government of India, there has been a decline in the prices of domestic electric vehicles. Under which the government is now giving more subsidy on domestic electric two wheelers.
The earlier subsidy on domestic electric vehicles was Rs 10,000 per kWh, which the Department of Heavy Industries (DHI) has now increased to Rs 15,000 per KWh after the Hybrid and Electric Vehicles Manufacturing (FAME II) amendment. After the arrival of this policy of the government, Bajaj’s electric two wheeler segment can see a boom. But it is too early to comment on any kind of timeline.
Source: indianweb2.com
