Hero Electric pushes into e-mobility with a new electric trike

Delhi-based Hero Electric Vehicles, part of the Naveen Munjal-led Hero Eco Group, rolled out a new high-speed motorcycle and a trike in new product launches at Auto Expo 2020 this week. 

With its primary application in the B2B segment, Hero Electric Trike AE - 3, a three-wheeled scooter, comes with a self-standing gyroscopic stability feature with auto balance park switch. It can produce a range of 100 kilometers per charge and delivers a speed of 80 kilometers an hour in a full charge of five hours. Powered by a 5500W motor, it is equipped with Li 48V/4kWh battery, the company said in a statement.  

The speed is higher than South Carolina-based Gotcha’s trike, another vehicle recently launched in the growing e-mobility segment. Gotcha’s trike offers 45 kilometers an hour and can travel 64 kilometres on a single charge. 

The homegrown electric automaker’s new electric motorcycle, AE-47, is powered by a 4000W motor that promises a top speed of 85 kilometers per hour. The vehicle is equipped with a portable lithium-ion 48V/3.5 kWh battery. 

With a charging time of four hours, it produces a range of 85 kilometers per charge in power mode, 160 kilometers per charge in eco mode and accelerates from 0-60 kilometers per hour in nine seconds, the company said. 

"We are confident to drive the vision of greener and cleaner future as we further move ahead into a new era of providing sustainable mobility solutions to align with governments vision to electrify all vehicles in the country by 2030,” Naveen Munjal, managing director of Hero Electric said.

Read how Amazon India is set to include 10,000 EVs (electric vehicles) to its fleet of delivery vehicles in the country by 2025.

Hero Electric aims to lead electric mobility in the country and has plans to take its current 620 touchpoints to 1000 by end of 2020 and make the brand accessible even in the most interior parts of the country. 

The company has aggressive investment plans in the next three years to ramp up production capacity of its electric scooters to five lakh units annually, with a focus on low-speed scooters for last mile connectivity.

The global EV market is projected to grow to 24.6 million units by 2026, representing a compounded annual growth rate of 32% from the 2.5 million units sold in 2018, according to a recent report from Fortune Business Insights.