Indian two-wheeler giant Hero MotoCorp has announced that it will be launching its first-ever electric scoter in March 2022. Hero MotoCorp will commence production on its first electric vehicle from its plant in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.
The first electric scooter from Hero MotoCorp will not bear the ‘Hero Electric’ badge. This is due to the existence of EV manufacturer Hero Motocorp which has been making and selling electric scooters in India for around a decade and a half.
The Chittoor plant in Andhra Pradesh has been dubbed the Garden Factory for its eco-friendly and sustainable manufacturing practices. Hero claims the new facility will provide an integrated ecosystem for Battery Pack Manufacturing and Testing, Vehicle Assembly and Vehicle End of Line Testing (EOL).
The new scooter was first seen at a virtual celebration organised by Hero MotoCorp where it made its debut with the help of the company’s Chairman, Pawan Munjal. The new bike seen at the celebrations was what appears to be a near production-ready prototype model.
The electric scooter from Hero MotoCorp features headlights on the front apron section along with a short windscreen, split seat design and a rather simple yet elegant black and white design that makes the electric scooter from HeroMotocorp quite pleasing to the eye.
Powertrain and battery figures are currently not known even in the rumour mills. However, the arrival of the yet unnamed electric scooter on the video with the company’s CEO showed us quite a few interesting things about the powertrain.
The Hero electric scooter showed no sign of a hub-mounted electric motor which should mean an inboard motor will be used. Hero currently owns a 35 percent stake in Ather Energy and it could be following in its footsteps by launching the e scooter with a belt-driven setup with the electric motor tucked inside the bodywork of the electric scooter.
We expect the Hero Motocorp electric scooter to sport an adequately sized lithium ion battery pack which should hopefully translate to at least a three-figure riding range before requiring a visit to the plug point. Hero Motocorp has also paired up with Taiwanese firm Gogoro to share its battery swap technology. With battery swap tech, the Hero electric scooter project is expected to offer owners the option to swap batteries which would allow for a lessening of journey time, especially for those who require to be on the move constantly.
The images from the Hero celebration show off a rather nice pair of black alloy wheels and the e-scooter will sport a 12-inch front wheel and a 10-inch rear wheel giving the scooter a staggered setup. Also seen are disc brakes along with the tubular front forks at the front and a single-sided swingarm with a mono-shock setup at the rear.
We also expect the new Hero e-scooter to come packed with multiple features like a touchscreen display, Bluetooth connectivity and a host of smart features including live range readings among many others.
Thoughts On Hero MotoCorp’s Upcoming Electric Scooter
The upcoming Hero Motocorp electric scooter will go up against the likes of the Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube and the Ola electric S1 and S1 Pro with prices expected to start at around the Rs 1 lakh mark. However, with its rivals already surging ahead, Hero will have to pull some serious magic out of the hat with its scooter to first draw in customers and then ensure they stay with the company for the long term.