Motorcycle maker Hero MotoCorp launched its first electric scooter worldwide on Friday as it looks to catch up with newer businesses that have taken the lead in the country's clean mobility push.
Prices will start at Rs 1,45,000 for the company's Vida Plus model - higher than most electric scooters in the country- but it will have a minimum range of 143 km on a single charge, among the highest in India.
Like many legacy automakers in India, Hero Motocorp has been a laggard in electric two-wheelers, where start-ups such as Ather Energy and Softbank Group-backed Ola Electric have gained first-mover advantage.
"While it may have been our wish to launch this product earlier than we have, we had to get it aboslutely right for the greater good of everyone," Hero MotoCorp Chairman Pawan Munjal told reporters at the launch event in Jaipur.
The company will start taking bookings on Oct. 10 and deliveries will begin in December.
Electric vehicles account for 2 per cent of total two-wheeler sales in India, but sales are accelerating as people move away from gasoline scooters in the face of rising fuel prices.
India wants electric models to account for 70 per cent of total two-wheeler sales by 2030.
Hero MotoCorp said in January that it would invest Rs 420 crore in electric vehicle start-up Ather Energy in an effort to expand in the green mobility sector.
Published 07 October 2022, 10:52 IST