Hero Electric, a leading electric two-wheeler manufacturer has announced its partnership with Bangalore-based Sun Mobility, a leading provider of energy infrastructure and services for electric vehicles (EVs), to deploy electric two-wheelers integrated with the latter’s smart-swappable battery technology.

The partners will start deployments in the next three months with a target of around 10,000 electric two-wheelers by the end of this year. Sun Mobility’s battery technology and swapping infrastructure will enable Hero Electric’s customers to own electric two-wheelers without having to worry about battery and charging infrastructure. The network of Quick Interchange Stations (Swap Points) allows for a ‘refuelling’ infrastructure that is faster, cheaper, and more convenient than the conventional petrol and diesel pumps for ICE-vehicles. This solution also works on a Pay-Per-Use model that empowers individuals, e-commerce companies, and fleet operators to easily adopt electric mobility for last-mile connectivity.

Hero Electric has a range of electric two-wheelers including Photon, Optima, and Atria under city speed and low-speed categories. The OEM is now expanding its existing R&D facilities to manufacture the next generation of low-speed, city speed and high-speed vehicles. Till date, the company has sold over 450,000 units and has established over 750 touchpoints.

Sohinder Gill, CEO, Hero Electric, said, “Battery Swapping is emerging as a good catalyst for the exponential growth of the electric two-wheelers in India. It reduces the upfront cost of buying a two-wheeler, eliminates the range anxiety and the apprehensions about the useful life of the batteries. It certainly makes a lot of sense for the B2B customers as the swapping stations can be placed in the working zones for the riders to allow them to run their bikes without waiting for the recharging of the batteries. As this concept evolves it will also become an attractive proposition for the retail customers. We have now developed electric two-wheelers that will seamlessly integrate with Sun Mobility’s hi-tech swapping stations so as to give years of trouble-free performance of the composite solution. Battery swapping has also been declared a focus area in the recent budget and we are in the discussions with the govt to help create a cost effective eco system that can support a large-scale conversion of customers from the dirty fuel vehicles to zero emission clean mobility solutions.”

Chetan Maini, co-founder and chairman, Sun Mobility, said, “The confluence of Hero Electric’s futuristic vision on understanding the EV space and the pros of the battery swapping technology, along with the government’s commendable initiatives to come up with tangible policies, will definitely augur well with our common goal to accelerate the demand and adoption of EVs in the country.”