The Government of India is planning to add another new category of convertible two-wheeler and three-wheeler vehicles. According to a media report, the draft to amend the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 is already been issued. The new amendment will help introduce a category of three-wheeled vehicles and integrate it with the two-wheeler category.
New L2-5 Category
The new two-wheeler and three-wheeler combined category will be known as “L2-5”. Thanks to the new category that combines 2/3 wheelers, convertible 2/3 wheelers such as the Hero Surge will now be able to enter the Indian market. The new convertible 2/3 wheeler can be converted from a three-wheeler to two-wheeler and vice a versa. This offers more accessibility and flexibility to the user.
The new category will allow the use of such vehicles which can be converted from three-wheeler to two-wheeler where the three-wheeler is a non-self-propelled unit. Both the two wheeler and the three wheeler module can be combined and separated when needed.
Currently, a vehicle can be under either L2 or L5 category and even under L2-5, only one vehicle can be used and not both at the same time. Under the L2-5, there are likely to be sub-categories. These are likely to include L2-5M which will be intended to carry passengers and L2-5N which could be intended to carry goods.
Which Vehicle Fits in the New L2-5 Category
At the Hero World 2024, Hero MotoCorp introduced the new Surge 32. The new Hero Surge 32 is a convertible 2/3 wheeler. The vehicle features two separate modules – a two-wheeled scooter and a three-wheeler module which can be electro-mechanically mated. As per the users requirement, the modules can separate from each other offering a wider use case such as ride sharing, last mile delivery, personal mobility etc.
Both the modules have separate powertrains but the three-wheeler module can work only when the two-wheeled module is docked. Thanks to this, only one vehicle is functional at a time. This feature makes the other vehicle’s powertrain non-functional for user and thus also conforms with the norms.
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