Hero MotoCorp showcased an electric scooter prototype last August; the first EV will be rolled out of the Chittoor plant in Andhra Pradesh
Hero MotoCorp showcased an electric scooter prototype virtually at the 10th anniversary celebrations last August. Moving forward, the largest two-wheeler producer in the country will step into the electric vehicle space with the debut of its first zero-emission product in March 2022. The prototype had very little in common with the Gogoro range of scooters sold abroad.
It is worth noting that Hero MotoCorp has partnered with Taiwan-based Gogoro for battery-swapping tech in India. The upcoming electric scooter prototype appeared to have a mid-mounted electric motor and a single-sided rear suspension while the design looked largely traditional. It will be rolled out of the brand’s manufacturing unit in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.
Called the Garden Factory, it commenced operations last March. In the next FY, Hero expects to make a strong comeback in the two-wheeler space following the phase-out of the latest health crisis. The brand reported 12.92 lakh unit sales last quarter. Hero MotoCorp CFO Niranjan Gupta expects a much broader economic recovery in the financial year 2022-23.
He also noted that the cost pressures will be far less as a lot of commodities including precious metals and steel are already peaking out as the impact could not be adverse moving forward. He confirmed that Hero would launch more new products in the premium portfolio to strengthen its market share but did not go into details.
Talking about stepping into the EV space, Gupta said Hero would launch multiple products across different segments for easy access to electrification. Hero continues to invest in Bengaluru-based EV startup Ather Energy and Gogoro and is collaborating with multiple players to develop an ecosystem.
Hero has also partnered with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited to establish a charging infrastructure for electric two-wheelers across India. Hero’s main competitors like Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company have already entered the EV space while Honda and Suzuki are not too far away from bringing in their two-wheeled electric vehicles either as the segment is shaping up to face a boom in the near future.