India's Hero MotoCorp launches first electric scooter worldwide

INDIAN motorcycle maker Hero MotoCorp launched its first electric scooter worldwide on Friday (Oct 7) 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 145,000 rupees (S$2,519) for the company’s Vida Plus model - higher than most electric scooters in India - 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 petrol scooters in the face of rising fuel prices.

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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 US$51 million in electric vehicle start-up Ather Energy in an effort to expand in the green mobility sector. REUTERS