Hero MotoCorp is yet to decide on a new brand name for its dedicated EV vertical since it cannot use the ‘Hero’ brand
Hero MotoCorp will be venturing into the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing space by launching its first battery-powered two-wheeler in March 2022. This development has been confirmed by CFO of the brand, Niranjan Gupta in an interaction with PTI. It has also come to light that this electric scooter has been developed independently by Hero.
Last month, chairman and CEO of Hero MotoCorp, Dr. Pawan Munjal, teased a pre-production prototype of the upcoming electric scooter during the company’s 10th anniversary celebration live stream recently. While no details of this scooter were revealed during the event, it gave us a rough idea of what to expect from the upcoming e-scooter.
On the other hand, Hero is also planning to launch its second electric scooter by the second half of next year. This two-wheeler will be developed in association with Taiwan-based EV manufacturer Gogoro. The two brands announced a partnership earlier this year which involved the use of battery swapping technology in upcoming electric two-wheelers.
Design of e-scooter
Coming back to the indigenously developed two-wheeler, it is an all-new electric scooter wearing a distinct design. For starters, the scooter appears to stand on 12-inch front and 10-inch rear black alloy wheels which look sporty. In all probability, it will be powered by a mid-ship mounted electric motor since the rear wheel did not feature a hub-mounted motor.
Unlike the Gogoro electric scooters patented in India a few months ago, the e-scooter from Hero MotoCorp misses out on double-sided swingarms. Black embellishments on the handlebar, side and rear fenders and floorboard give the scooter a dual-tone colour theme that looks very sporty. Other notable styling highlights include a short flyscreen, a long split seat and curvy bodywork. The pillion seat is detachable which is intended for use in last-mile services.
Separate brand name for EV lineup
More details on the upcoming electric scooter will hopefully be revealed ahead of its launch in the next few months. However, the company has a lot to figure out before launching its first battery-powered model.
As previously revealed, the company cannot use the brand ‘Hero’ for its EV lineup since this right has been held by Hero Electric, a separate EV manufacturing entity. Hero MotoCorp is yet to decide on a brand name for its dedicated electric vehicle (EV) vertical.
Upon its launch, the upcoming e-scooter from Hero will compete against a raft of other electric scooters such as Ather 450X, Ola S1, Bajaj Chetak, Simple One and TVS iQube. The company CFO also revealed that the recent shortage of semiconductor chips has had no effect on production of two-wheelers. The bikemaker is gearing up to stock its inventories for the festive season.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
