Hero MotoCorp has announced that its first electric scooter will be available on October 7. The launch will occur under Hero's recently trademarked sub-brand, Vida, which has been established to focus on the electric two-wheeler segment.
This upcoming e-scooter, like the rest of Hero MotoCorp's lineup, is expected to be aimed at the mass market, with a price tag of Rs 1 lakh or less. Unlike offerings from start-ups Ather and Ola Electric, which focus on performance and fun, the Vida e-scooter is likely to be a more functional vehicle, emphasising fundamentals such as safety, range, and durability over outright performance.
That being said, this will not be a low-speed electric scooter with a 25 km/h speed limit, and performance levels should be comparable to the base TVS iQube.
While the press release provides no information about the upcoming electric scooter, a prototype of Hero MotoCorp's electric scooter was shown virtually in August last year as part of the company's 10th-anniversary celebrations. It appeared to use a mid-mounted motor at the time, but recent rumours suggest that it may have used a hub motor instead.
Hero MotoCorp had previously scheduled the launch of this scooter for July 1, which was already a delay from the March launch date. With an official launch date, it appears that the scooter is finally ready for the market, and we hope to be able to ride it soon.
In addition to the upcoming Vida scooter, Hero MotoCorp previously announced a strategic partnership with Taiwan-based battery supplier, Gogoro, to develop another electric two-wheeler with a removable battery pack and support it with an India-wide battery swapping network. Gogoro has used this model with great success in its home market.