Hero Electric showcased a very interesting offering called the AE3 for India at the Auto Expo 2020. The AE3 is the brand’s adventure series Electric Trike which the brand displayed to assess feedback and may launch the trike in India later this year.
The Adventure Series Hero Electric Trike AE3 features two front wheels and a single wheel on the rear. AE3 has a suspension and wheel setup inspired from the Leaning Multi-Wheel (LMW) chassis found on the Yamaha Niken. The AE3 trike has a pair of twin telescopic forks in the front which is essentially designed to lean into corners. The front setup has 12-inch multispoke alloy wheels and dual disc brakes. The front fascia comes with dual projector lamps stacked on one another, LED daytime running lights and a large windscreen. Other features include high mounted ergonomic handlebars, a wide ergonomic seat, under-seat luggage compartment, 2 in 1 cup holder and mobile phone holder, LED tail lamps, a fully digital colour TFT instruments console, USB charging, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, reverse assist etc.
The AE3 electric trike is powered by a 3kW electric motor mounted in the chassis and powers the rear wheel via a belt drive system. The electric motor is coupled to a 48V/2.4kWh lithium-ion battery. Hero Electric claims that the AE3 trike can do a top speed of 80 kmph and has a range of 100 km on a single charge.
The trike also features a self-balancing system that uses an onboard gyroscope and the trike has an ‘Auto Balance Park’ switch which gives the AE3 a self-balancing ability when the trike is parked.
In India, as of now, there is no classification for a vehicle to be registered as a trike. We are not certain how the brand and the authorities will classify the vehicle. But because the front wheel track of the Hero Electric AE3 fits under a certain range the trike could possibly be registered as an L2 category two-wheeler during homologation.
One thing is for sure, the Hero Electric AE3 trike will certainly not be cheap with prices speculated to be around INR 1.5 lakh to INR 2 lakhs.