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Hero Cycles launches e-bike, e-scooter that run on battery

Express News Service

Ludhiana, August 21: Hero Cycles Limited (HCL) today launched battery-operated its electric bike and electric scooter. The company has opened two exclusive showrooms in Ludhiana, one on Ferozepur Road and another at Dholewal Chowk. The e-bike and e-scooter are priced between Rs 15,000-20,000 and Rs 24,000-28,000 respectively, said Vijay Munjal, MD HCL. The products have been launched in a joint venture with UK-based Ultra Motors Company (UMC). Ultra Motors has provided the battery in the vehicles, with an eight-hour back up. Munjal highlighted that in the last two months, HCL-UMC have already put in place exclusive dealerships in Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Patiala, added Munjal. Seven variants of e-bikes and e-scooters, were launched. These are branded as Hero Electric, with the ‘ultra-powered’ technology tag. All variants are in different shapes. The maximum speed limit of all the vehicles is 25 km per hour. Munjal added that the e-bikes and e-scooters run at one-tenth of the running cost of the conventional petrol-driven two wheelers. He highlighted that their a maintenance cost is one-third of a conventional two-wheeler. Depending on what version of the electric two-wheeler is used, a single charge can last between 40 kms and 70 kms, he said. The price of running an electric two-wheeler works out to be an 10 paisa per km, which is the cost of charging the battery, Munjal claimed. The company is targeting the youngsters and working women for these bikes. Company officials say that the vehicles are environment-friendly and are gearless. No driving license is required for these vehicles. Already, the company has launched its dealer outlets in Delhi NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, West UP and Punjab. By mid-September, HCL and UMC plan to be present in 50 exclusive showrooms across north and west India. By the end of March 2008, HCL-UMC plan to be present in 120 outlets in India, said Deba Ghoshal, Director Marketing Ultra Motors India.