While Hero MotoCorp’s journey started in 1984 in India, almost 38 years ago, the last ten years have been particularly accelerating for the brand. In December 2010, Hero Group (Hero) and Honda Motor Co. (Honda Japan) dissolved their partnership, ending one of the most successful collaborations in the automotive industry. Hero MotoCorp, as the company is known since July 2011, is now celebrating ten years of business as an independent brand.
Hero MotoCorp’s Journey Towards Electrification
During the virtual celebration of the ten glorious years of Hero MotoCorp, Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Managing Director & CEO of Hero Motocorp, teased a new electric scooter. The head honcho only gave us a glimpse of the upcoming Hero MotoCorp electric scooter, but the company did not reveal any details.
Hero MotoCorp Electric Scooter – Design
The new electric scooter appears to come with an aerodynamic nose with an apron mounted LED headlamp. The e-scooter also features telescopic front suspension, upright handlebars, and a generous footboard. The scooter also gets a flat bench seat with an ergonomic design and ample under-seat storage. The e-scooter is also likely to come with digital instruments and internet-connected technology.
Hero MotoCorp Electric Scooter – Powertrain Speculation
While powertrain specifications are still scarce, the brand’s partnership with Ather leads us to believe that the brand is likely to borrow the powertrain technology from the Bangalore based company. We speculate that the Hero electric scooter could use the same 6 kW Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor with a 2.9 kWh lithium-ion battery pack to balance the economies of scale. On the Ather 450X, the motor develops 26 Nm of torque on demand. No Wonder Dr Pawan Munjal referred to the Hero MotoCorp electric scooter as a “bolt of lightning.”
Electric Vehicle Research & Development
The company’s CEO also revealed that the new electric scooter teased at the virtual event had been developed in-house. The e-scooter is the product of the Hero Global Centre of Innovation and Technology, popularly known as “CIT”. Along with boffins from the Hero Tech Centre in Munich, Germany.
Hero MotoCorp Partners with Gogoro
Hero MotoCorp recently partnered with Gogoro, a Taiwan-based technology company with expertise in building Battery Swapping Networks. In Taiwan, the brand has 2,100 battery swapping stations that handle more than 265,000 daily battery swaps. The brand has also witnessed more than 174 million battery swaps since its launch. Hero MotoCorp plans to use Gogoro’s expertise in building battery swapping networks to help accelerate electric vehicles in India. The brand also revealed that Hero MotoCorp would develop Gogoro-powered electric scooters in India under the strategic partnership.
Hero MotoCorp Electric Scooter – Launch Timeline
Dr Munjal revealed that the Hero MotoCorp is on “the cusp of revelaing this to the world”. This leads us to believe that the new e-scooter will debut by the end of this year in India. Furthermore, Dr Munjal also revealed that this e-scooter is only one of the new products that the brand is developing.
Also Read: Hero MotoCorp could launch Gogoro Viva electric scooter in India
