World’s biggest maker of two-wheelers launches first electric scooter in India

Hero MotoCorp's new scooter will cost $1,761 with deliveries set to begin in December

Customers look at a Hero MotoCorp Karizma motorbike at a showroom in Ahmedabad, India. The company has launched an electric scooter under the brand Vida. Reuters

Hero MotoCorp unveiled its first electric vehicle as the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters pivots towards clean energy.

The electric scooter, launched under the brand Vida, will cost 145,000 Indian rupees ($1,761) and deliveries will begin from the second week of December, the company said on Friday.

A plant in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is producing the electric vehicle, which will have a range of 143 kilometres and 165 kilometres for its two variants.

Electrification in India is being driven by two-wheelers as the high price tag of battery-powered cars puts them out of most consumers’ reach.

Decarbonising two-wheelers, which account for more than 70 per cent of total vehicles in India, will help the world’s third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases tackle its toxic air.

By 2030, about 30 per cent of all vehicles sold in India will be electric but they will mostly be two and three-wheelers, while electric passenger cars will make up only about 5 per cent of total EV sales, consultancy Arthur D Little estimates.

To accelerate the shift to cleaner vehicles, Hero MotoCorp is teaming up with global companies.

It has formed a joint venture with Taiwan-based Gogoro to build battery-swapping stations across India.

In addition, it plans to build charging networks for the two-wheeler segment with fast chargers, Hero MotoCorp said.