News broke back in September of last year that Hero MotoCorp and California-based Zero Motorcycles were considering a partnership to co-develop electric motorcycles and both the manufacturers signed an agreement to confirm the same in March this year.
Hero MotoCorp’s annual report now reveals there has been a significant development in its partnership with Zero Motorcycles which now allows Hero to co-develop premium electric motorcycles. This opens the door to a premium Hero (or even Vida) badged electric bike down the road.
By diversifying its EV portfolio, the company aims to ‘capture a wider customer base’ and ‘capitalise on the global shift towards electric mobility’. This collaboration combines the expertise and technology of Zero’s in-house developed powertrain with the scale of manufacturing, sourcing, and marketing of Hero MotoCorp. The annual report doesn’t state who will be building the Zero EVs in India but in all likelihood, it will be Hero MotoCorp itself.
Zero's range comprises two distinct categories – street and dualsport. The former comprises five machines – SR/S, SR/F, SR, S and FXE – while the latter consists of four options – DSR/X, DSR, DS and FX. Hero will be bringing the Zero portfolio into India, and with the lineup being fully manufactured in India, pricing should be quite competitive.
Hero already has made inroads into the burgeoning EV sector with its EV-specific subsidiary, Vida. Under the Vida umbrella, the company retails the V1 Pro electric scooter, and to read our review of it, tap here.
Currently, the only high-performance electric motorcycle in India is the homegrown Ultraviolette F77, and to read our review of the top-spec Recon variant, tap here.