Honda alleges that Hero Electric’s Dash electric scooter looks too similar to the Japanese company’s ‘Moove’ sold in the foreign markets, and has approached the Delhi High Court for the same
Honda Motor Company is apparently suing Hero Electric Vehicles for copying its design, and has approached the Delhi High Court seeking to stop the Indian-origin company from manufacturing, selling and advertising the Dash electric scooter. Honda claims that Hero Electric Vehicles is infringing on the registered design of the front and rear lights and rear cover of its ‘Moove’ electric scooter.
Honda’s two-wheeler division does not currently retail the Moove scooter in the Indian market, however, the Hero Electric Dash was launched in the Indian market last year and is available in a single variant that costs Rs 62,000 (ex-showroom). On May 22, 2020, the Delhi High Court asked Hero Electric to respond to the allegations.
The court heard Honda’s side of the story on May 29, 2020, and Hero Electric was set to present its arguments to the court on June 2, 2020, but the case has been re-listed for June 11, 2020. Talking about the Dash, the e-scooter comes equipped with a 250 W electric motor along with a 48V battery pack that lends it a riding range of 60 km per in a single charge.
On the other hand, the Honda Moove is an ICE powered scooter, and uses a 108.2 cc single cylinder, 4-stroke, SOHC, air cooled motor. While Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has no plans of bringing the Moove to the Indian market as of yet, the Japanese automaker is currently evaluating introducing its electric scooter range to the Indian market.
Honda’s motorcycle and scooter division in the Indian market currently retails three BS6-compliant scooters in the country, namely Activa 6G, Activa 125 as well as the Dio. On the other hand, Hero Electric, not to be confused with the NSE and BSE-listed Hero MotoCorp which is the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, currently offers a range of fully-electric scooters in the country including Optima LA, Dash, Flash, Photon, Optima E5 and Nyx.