Hero MotoCorp joins the EV bandwagon with Vida electric scooters
Given its premium pricing, Hero Vida V1 competes with premium electric scooters including Ola S1 and S1 Pro, TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak, and Simple One.
Hero MotoCorp has finally stepped into the world of battery-powered vehicles by launching a dedicated EV vertical named Vida. The country’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer joins this segment with a brand new electric scooter–Vida V1, which has been indigenously developed and manufactured.
Vida V1 is being sold as two variants–Plus and Pro–priced at Rs 1.45 lakh and Rs Rs 1.59 lakh (ex-showroom), respectively. Bookings for Vida V1 will commence from October 10 onwards at a token amount of Rs 2,499. This electric scooter will be initially available for sale in Delhi, Jaipur and Bengaluru.
Hero Vida V1 Pro
Deliveries of the e-scooter will begin in the second week of December in a phased manner. Vida V1 has been developed at the company’s Centre for Innovation and Technology, Jaipur, in collaboration with engineers at its tech centre in Germany. Hero MotoCorp has already forged strategic partnerships with Bengaluru-based Ather Energy and Taiwan-based Gogoro.
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Design
The design of Vida V1 is based on three philosophies–Smart, Strong and Stylish. Instead of a futuristic design, like most contemporary electric two-wheelers, Hero MotoCorp has opted for a conventional styling that helps it blend in with other scooters.
Vida V1 Plus
The angular front apron features a unique hexagonal-shaped LED headlight with integrated LED turn indicators. It gets a flat floorboard and split-style seats to go with a chunky, single-piece grab rail for the pillion. Unlike the sophisticated front apron, the side panels appear simple. The under-seat storage system has been cleverly divided into two segments.
Features
Given its premium pricing, Vida V1 is loaded to the gills with features such as a 7-inch touchscreen driver’s display that also doubles up as a smartphone panel. Owners can pair their smartphone with the scooter via a proprietary app. Other notable creature comforts include a two-way throttle that enables reverse mode, follow me home lamps, find my scooter alert, cruise control, and keyless operations.
Connected telematics offered in Vida V1
The company offers three ride modes with the electric scooter–Eco, Glide and Sports. Vida V1 comes with a 100+ combination of regen settings that focus on optimising range and performance of the battery-powered scooter.
Powertrain specs
Both variants of Vida V1 are powered by the same electric motor with a peak output of 6kW that propels the scooter up to a top speed of 80 kmph. However, the base V1 Plus is offered with a smaller 3.44 kWh battery pack compared to the top-spec V1 Pro which comes with a larger 3.94kWh unit.
As a result, V1 Plus returns a claimed range of 143 km (IDC) in comparison to 165 km (IDC) returned by V1 Pro on a single charge. V1 Pro is slightly quicker off the line as well with a 0-to-40 kmph acceleration time of 3.2 seconds as opposed to 3.4 seconds in V1 Plus to achieve the same. Both variants have a gradeability of 20 degrees even with a pillion on board.
Vida V1 Plus and V1 Pro
As far as charging is concerned, both V1 Plus and V1 Pro are offered fast charging capabilities that can replenish the battery at a rate of 1.2 km per minute. On using a home charger, the battery pack of V1 Plus can be recharged in 5 hours 51 minutes whereas, for the V1 Pro, it takes 5 hours 55 minutes.
(Images courtesy: vidaworld.com)
Edited by Akanksha Sarma
