As we get closer to its October 7 launch date, new details about the upcoming e-scooter from Hero MotoCorp’s Vida sub-brand have emerged. In a post on Instagram, the manufacturer has revealed that the upcoming EV will feature swappable batteries.
Hero has a partnership with Gogoro to set up battery swapping stations
Price tag expected to be Rs 1 lakh or lower
The post on Vida’s official Instagram account is accompanied by the caption “New Vida uses a modular charging system with portable batteries so you can power up whenever you want, wherever you are.” This confirms that the soon-to-be-revealed electric scooter will come with a battery swapping feature, much like the Bounce Infinity E1.
However, this Vida e-scooter is likely to be a completely independent development by Hero and doesn't use any of Gogoro's technologies.
The advantage of removable batteries is that they enable quick and easy exchange of a depleted battery for a fully charged one at a battery swapping station, with the whole process getting over in a matter of minutes. This results in massive time-saving, as the average electric scooter with a non-swappable battery takes hours to fully recharge.
Among other things, expect the Hero Vida e-scooter to be a mass-market offering with a price of Rs 1 lakh or lower. The model is expected to be commuter-focused like the TVS iQube and not performance-oriented like the Ather 450X. Expect more details of the Hero Vida e-scooter to trickle through in due course.
What should be the starting price for Hero’s upcoming electric scooter? Let us know in the comments.