Aurelia Butler

Hero MotoCorp Electric Scooter – Under VIDA BrandProduction of the new e-scooter under the Vida branding will be conducted at the company’s Green manufacturing unit in Chittoor, IndiaAs the two wheeler segment moves from Petrol power to Electric in a very big way, Hero MotoCorp has announced its electric scooter initiative. The company has teased this upcoming model and showcased the new Vida brand ahead of its upcoming launch. The reason why Hero MotoCorp had to go in for new branding is due to the existence of the Hero Electric brand which resulted in a legal battle over its ownership.Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Hero MotoCorp, posed against the backdrop of this new electric vehicle brand called ‘Vida’ along with the new logo to show its distinctive branding and revealed some details of this new electric scooter. This new scooter will be officially unveiled in India on 1st July 2022 to coincide with the birth anniversary of Dr. Brijmohan Lall, Chairman Emeritus of Hero MotoCorp.Hero Vida Electric ScooterThe new Hero e-scooter will be produced at the Hero MotoCorp Green manufacturing plant in Chittoor, India. It will be unveiled on 1st July 2022 with deliveries to commence from later this year. A pre-production prototype was teased last year, to mark the company’s 10th anniversary.The unveiling event of the new ‘Vida’ brand was attended by global leaders, senior government representatives and diplomatic corps in the UAE along with policy makers and stakeholders of Hero MotoCorp that included their Board of Directors, senior employees and also the company’s distributors and supply chain partners.Hero MotoCorp Vida ElectricMore DetailsThe new electric scooter was showcased in an un-camouflaged format and sported a white colour scheme. It was seen with 12 inch front and 10 inch rear black alloy wheels and a long split seat. The pillion seat is detachable which allows the upcoming scooter to be used for last mile deliveries. It also sports a flyscreen and curved body works while it gets sporty accents on its handle bar, side and rear fender and floor board.Once launched, the new e-scooter from Hero MotoCorp will rival the Ola S1, Simple One, Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube, and Ather 450X in its segment. It will also rival a range of electric scooters from Hero Electric, Okinawa, Ampere, etc. The upcoming Hero MotoCorp electric scooter is expected to be priced competitively so as to take on these rivals and could be priced under Rs 1 lakh.Hero MotoCorp’s Global Sustainability FundDr Pawan Munjal has also announced a US$100 Million Global Sustainability Fund. This fund will be directed towards establishing global partnerships, spearheaded by BML Munjal University (BMU) and Hero MotoCorp. It will go a long way to offer impetus to over 10,000 entrepreneurs on ESG solutions that will in turn have a positive impact on the planet.Hero MotoCorp has also signed an agreement with Taiwanese company Gogoro for battery swapping technology. The company plans a wide range of premium products and is also working on battery powered motorcycles as well. More

2022 Yamaha Vino 50cc ScooterYamaha 50cc scooters such as Vino, Jog and Gear are available only in select markets such as JapanManufacturers design products in line with specific needs, tastes and preferences of a particular region. A perfect example is Yamaha Vino 50cc scooter, which demonstrates the Japanese fascination with all thigs small and super cute. In its 2022 update, the scooter gets two new colour options of Bonnie Blue and Matt Armoured Green Metallic.Yamaha Vino 2022 new coloursNew Bonnie Blue colour option has a retro feel to it, which compliments the scooter’s classic design. It is essentially a dual-tone colour theme of light blue and ivory white in glossy finish. Blue shade has been used around the headlamp cowl, front fender, instrument console and side panels. A third shade, tan-brown, can be seen on the handle grips, floorboard and seat cover.The tan-brown shade helps keep focus on the core colour theme of blue and ivory white. It’s a delicate colour theme, which could have lost its beauty if combined with the usual black coloured seat and handle grips. Even ivory white seats and handgrips would have worked great for this colour theme.Second colour option utilizes a mix of dark green and black with white highlights. Much of the body panels have a dark green shade, while headlamp cowl and front fender have glossy black paint. Twin white strips can be seen on the front fascia and side panels. Seat and handle grips have the standard black shade whereas the floorboard area gets a light grey colour.2022 Yamaha Vino 50cc Scooter DebutsWith these new shades, there are now a total of six colour options for Yamaha Vino scooter. The earlier colour options of Fighting Red, Virgin Beige, Mahogany Brown Metallic and Graphite Black have been retained as is.No other updatesApart from new colour options, there are no other changes to Yamaha Vino 50cc scooter. It continues with its retro profile, evident in features such as round headlamp and rear view mirrors, large rounded fender and curvy side panels. Vino has an antique-looking instrument console loved by retro enthusiasts.Other key features include open storage pocket at front, foldable hook, dedicated glove box with built-in accessory pocket, decent sized under seat storage and rear wheel brake lock. Suspension system comprises a telescopic unit at front and swingarm rear suspension. Braking duties are performed by disc brakes at both ends.2022 Yamaha Vino 50cc Scooter DebutsYamaha Vino is powered by a 49cc engine that generates 4.5 ps of max power at 8,000 rpm and 4.1 Nm of peak torque at 6,000 rpm. The scooter has idling stop system, which saves fuel by stopping the engine at brief halts such as traffic signals.A 50cc scooter is supposed to be cheap, but in Japan Yamaha Vino starts at 203,500 yen. This is approximately Rs 1.33 lakh. 50cc scooters have limited scope in Indian market and are unlikely to be launched here. More

Joy Electric ScooterWardWizard Joy e-bike sales in February 2022 is its highest to dateWardWizard Joy e-bike has had a tremendous February 2022. Sales touched the 4,450 unit mark. For the electric two-wheeler manufacturer, February 2022 sales performance goes down in history as the highest ever sales in any month to date.Sales has benefited from the brand’s strong product portfolio. This includes three new high-speed electric scooters, and a fleet management vehicle. A year earlier, the sales scenario looked very different for e-bike.At the time, the company reported sales of 320 units. Sales was even better than that reported in January 2022. MoM sales growth stood at 12.62 percent, up from 3,951 units sold in January 2022. .2022 sales growthLooking at the way 2022 has started, WardWizard has set itself up for a busy one. In the first two months itself, Joy e-bike sales have surpassed the 8.3k unit mark. Electric two-wheeler companies have in recent months reported improved sales.Joy e-bike sales Feb 2022Of course these numbers are still small in terms of sales volume but it surely is a better time to do business than ever before. So, while total sales of electric scooters is still a lowball figure in the larger scheme of things, these numbers surely are growing.With the electric scooter space filling up fast, the quest to reach the top has ensured competition is rife. In a few short years, the electric two-wheeler space has seen an endless number of new companies enter the space.With new entrants building a name step by step, the industry is expected to get even more crowded when mainstream manufacturers play a more active part in electric two wheeler development and sales. Until then, new businesses continue to make the most of the growth wagon and tap into the current increase in demand for electric scooters.High-speed e-scootersAs FY22 comes to an end, the company reports sales has surpassed the 25k mark at 25,777 units. WardWizard is keen eyed to hit its annual target basis consistent rise in demand for its e2Ws.Sheetal Bhalerao, Chief Operations Officer, WardWizard Innovations and Mobility Ltd, said, “With the launch of two new high-speed e-scooters and a fleet management vehicle, the Joy e-bike has become one of the most preferred EV brands in the country and this makes us immensely proud and responsible.The overwhelming response across the country has helped us in achieving a new sales record in February. As the fastest-growing EV brand, we are focused on bringing advanced products and expanding the touchpoints to strengthen our market presence. For us, the EV revolution is a mission, and we endeavour to provide quality products to our valuable customers.” More

2022 Yamaha MT15 image for reference.2022 Yamaha MT15 will continue to rival the likes of KTM 125 Duke, TVS Apache RTR 200 4V and Bajaj Pulsar NS200After R15, Yamaha will be introducing significant changes to its popular hyper-naked MT15 bike. Updated MT15 is expected to be launched soon, possibly next month. Ahead of that, the existing MT15 has been discontinued. From selling an average of 5k units per month, sales of MT15 dropped to just 17 units in Jan 2022. This is likely in anticipation of the updated variant.It has been reported that production of current version of the bike has been stopped and the company has started manufacturing the updated MT15. Yamaha operates three plants in India, located in Faridabad (Haryana), Surajpur (Uttar Pradesh) and Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu). These cater to both domestic and international markets.Updated Yamaha MT15 styling2022 version of MT15 will pack in a number of changes including visual and mechanical updates. MT15 already has a smashing profile, something that kind of limits the quantum of visual changes that can be introduced for the bike. The current look and feel of the bike has been achieved over a period of several years.Some key features include an aggressive front fascia, bi-functional LED headlight, wide handlebar, sporty rear-view mirrors, sculpted fuel tank, prominent engine guard, radiator side fins, short rising tail and compact upswept exhaust. It remains to be seen if Yamaha chooses to experiment or continues with the current styling.2022 Yamaha MT15 International SpecScope for cosmetic enhancements exists more in the form of new graphics and colour options. The current model is available in Metallic Black, Dark Matt Blue, Ice Fluo-Vermillion and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Edition.Updated Yamaha MT15 new featuresA key update for MT15 could be USD front forks. A number of users have requested this feature and it has already been introduced with R15. Both bikes have the same platform, so introducing USD forks for MT15 shouldn’t be much of a problem. The only thing is that price may have to be increased to accommodate such updates.If MT15 gets USD forks, it could be offered in sporty golden finish. That will definitely make the bike a lot more fun on the streets. In its current form, the bike is offered with standard telescopic forks at front. Rear linked-type monocross suspension will be same as earlier.Another key update could be dual-channel ABS. The existing model is offered with single-channel ABS. Braking system will be same as earlier, 282mm disc at front and 220mm disc at rear. The bike has 17-inch wheels at both ends, shod with 100/80 front and 140/70 rear tubeless tyres.2022 MT15 could also get a revised LCD instrument console with Bluetooth-based connectivity features. Just like R15 V4, users will be able to access the connectivity features via Yamaha’s Y-Connect app. Other possibilities for MT15 include quick-shifter and traction control system.Engine will be same as current model, a 155cc liquid cooled, 4-valve unit that makes 18.5 ps of max power at 10,000 rpm and 13.9 Nm of peak torque at 8,500 rpm. It is mated to a 6-speed constant mesh transmission. The bike is equipped with advanced features such as variable valve actuation (VVA) and assist and slipper clutch.Source More

Ather Electric ScooterAther Energy currently has the capacity to manufacture 5,000 electric scooters a month in addition to building its own lithium-ion battery packElectric two-wheelers, especially scooters have seen tremendous growth in the last few months, thanks to the push being given to electric mobility by the Government of India. Ather Energy has come out as one of the primary contributors in the electric mobility space in our country for the past couple of years.The Bengaluru-based EV startup is currently the third-largest manufacturer in the electric two-wheeler space in India after Hero Electric and Okinawa. The company currently retails two electric scooters under its folds including 450 Plus and 450X. Ather in recent times has accelerated its network expansion across the country.Ather Electric Scooter Sales Feb 2022Where petrol scooter sales are on a decline, Ather has recorded a YoY growth of 140 percent in comparison to February 2021. The EV manufacturer has clocked a cumulative sales volume of 2,042 scooters in February 2022. Ather sold about 850 electric scooters in Feb 2021 – translating in a YoY growth of more than 140%. In Jan 2022, Ather had sold 2,825 scooters – translating into a decline of 27% MoM.The low numbers despite growing demand are a result of the global semiconductor chip shortage reeling the automotive industry for more than a year. The ongoing crisis has led to the disruption in the supply chain management which is why the company is unable to keep pace with the rising demand. Ather claims only a fraction of the pre-pending orders were cleared in February.Ather Electric Scooter Sales Feb 2022. Feb 2021 number is an estimate, basis of 140% growth.Setting Up New Charging GridsThe company is hopeful of improvement of the market situation in the next 2-3 months where supplier partners are able to reduce the demand-supply gap. On the other hand, Ather signed an MoU with Govt. of Karnataka to install 1000 charging grids across the state to help make EVs go mainstream. This development was confirmed by the CEO of Ather Energy, Tarun Mehta, on his official Twitter account.Ather has also laid out its growth plan for the next few years. Over the next three years, the EV manufacturer plans to increase its annual production capacity to one million scooters from 400,000 by the end of 2022, install 5,000 fast chargers across India, develop new products and increase its network to 600 stores.Other developmentsAther currently has 29 retail stores spread across 24 cities. More than 300 fast-charging Ather Grid Points are available across these cities. The EV firm has plans to expand its footprint to 100 cities across the country by March 2023. Around 150 experience centres will be set up.On a slightly different topic, Ather Energy was recently announced as the principal sponsor of Gujarat Titans for a period of two years. The Ahmedabad-based franchise is one of two new additions to the Indian Premier League (IPL). More