Hero MotoCorp launches Vida e-scooter with 165km range

Hero MotoCorp today launched its first EV – the Vida e-scooter – in Plus and Pro variants, priced at Rs 145,000 and Rs 159,000, respectively. The V1 Plus and V1 Pro differ in terms of range as well as performance. 

The Vida was unveiled by Chairman and CEO Dr Pawan Munjal at the company’s Centre of Innovation and Technology, Jaipur, Rajasthan. He said: “Vida, meaning ‘life’, is a promise of a better world. The Vida V1 will play a crucial role by reducing tailpipe emissions, promoting eco-friendly behaviour and leading to a conscious shift in overall consumption patterns. We must redesign the entire value system and ecosystem of a product and service to have meaningful results for the future of our planet.”

Vida to roll out of Chittoor plant
Designed and developed at Hero’s R&D hubs – CIT in Jaipur and the Hero Tech Centre, near Munich – Vida V1 is being manufactured at Hero MotoCorp’s plant at Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.

The Vida uses a high-voltage lithium-ion-based battery with nickel manganese cobalt chemistry. The Vida V1 Plus, with its 3.44kWh battery, delivers a claimed range of 143km, while the V1 Pro, equipped with a larger 3.94kWh battery, has a claimed range of 165km. Both have the same motor which develops 6kW peak power and propels the V1 e-scooter to a claimed top speed of 80kph. The V1 Pro accelerates from zero to 40kph in 3.2sec, a tad faster than the V1 Plus’s 3.4 seconds.

Hero MotoCorp claims both the Vidas can climb steep inclines (up to 20deg) with a pillion aboard, even if the battery is at 60% charge. Both can also be fast-charged at the rate of 1.2km/min, when hooked up to a fast charger. On a home charger, the V1 Plus takes 5 hours and 15 minutes for a 0-80% charge while the V1 Pro takes five hours and 55 minutes. 

The Vida V1 comes with standard five-year warranty for 50,000km. The batteries are covered by a warranty valid for three years or up to 30,000 kilometres.

Swappable batteries
Among the key highlights of the Hero Vida are its swappable batteries, developed in-house by Hero MotoCorp. This will enable a Vida user to change a depleted battery to a fresh one within minutes.

The Vida V1 e-scooters are high on electronic features including a 7.0-inch TFT touchscreen dash, keyless operations, three riding modes – Sport, Ride, Eco and Custom – as well as a proprietary app through which one’s cellphone can be paired. 

Finance and also buyback scheme
In an effort to make EV ownership easier, Hero MotoCorp announced some customer-friendly initiatives. This includes ‘Green EMI’, a financing platform which offers a paperless programme of ownership and also “best-in-class interest rates at 1.5-2% lesser than the prevailing financial options in the market.”

The company has also introduced a buyback scheme with a first-in-industry assurance of vehicle buyback at 70% of purchase value between 16 to 18 months of vehicle ownership.

Hero MotoCorp has announced plans to launch the Vida V1 e-scooters first in Bengaluru, Delhi and Jaipur, followed by other key cities in India. Bookings open on October 10 for a booking amount of Rs 2,499, with deliveries commencing in the second week of December. 

Vida versus its rivals
Hero MotoCorp's first electric scooter, being a late entry into the Indian EV market, will have to take on four key rivals: the Ather 450X Gen 3, Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube and the Ola Electric S1. The data table below depicts the statistics of the base variants of each model. The pricing is ex-showroom without factoring FAME II subsidy. 

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