On 21st April Hero MotoCorp announced that they are going to partner with Taiwanese company Gogoro to accelerate transformation to electric mobility in India. Along with Gogoro Inc. Hero MotoCorp is going to build a network for battery swapping in India. Later on they will also be collaborating for research and development and manufacturing of Electronic Scooters. Here are the top 6 things you need to know about Hero MotoCorp’s entry to the Electric Scooter market.
Is Hero MotoCorp launching their own Electric Scooter
Yes! Hero MotoCorp collaborated with Gogoro to bring “Hero branded powered by Gogoro Network” Electric Scooters to the market. The vehicles will come with Hero MotoCorp branding and the batteries will be provided by Gogoro.
What is Gogoro Inc.
Gogoro is a Taiwanese company founded in 2011 that expertised in battery swapping services. They have “more than 375,000 riders and 2,000 battery swapping stations, managing 265,000 daily battery swaps with more than 174 million total battery swaps to date.”
When will Hero MotoCorp launch the Electric Scooter
The launch date for Hero MotoCorp branded powered by Gogoro Network Electric Scooters have yet not been revealed but experts are suggesting that the first lot may roll out before Diwali this year.
In which cities Hero MotoCorp’s battery swapping service will be available
It is expected that the company will initially start the service in a handful of the tier one cities like Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai. Later on the service will be available for customers in tier two cities. It is also rumoured that Hero will use its existing distribution network to sell the Ebikes and provide the battery swapping service.
What is the battery details of Hero MotoCorp Gogoro batteries
The company offers Lithium Ferro Phosphate batteries for their Ebikes in Taiwan with 50kmph speed and 110km of range. It charges within 2.5 Hrs in the Gogoro charging station. The company is expected to put forward batteries with similar features in India.
Should I buy a Hero MotoCorp Gogoro Electric Scooter
In my opinion you may want to skip this product. There are a few reasons.
First of all, the battery swapping service will be available on a monthly subscription basis. If you do not travel for more than 40 kilometres a day then there is no point to pay a monthly subscription fee for swapping batteries. You can purchase an Ebike with a preloaded high quality Lithium Phosphate battery that will last you for more than 5 years. This way you can reduce your average costing.
Secondly, we have seen top brands launching their electric two wheelers at an exorbitant price. Sometimes the products do not fully justify the price. I do not feel Hero is going to break this tradition. Their products will be costlier. You can easily get a similar product for less consideration.
Next, it will take Hero years before they can deliver the battery swapping service to the last mile. Waiting that long does not sound realistic at all.
If you still want to go with the Hero Motocorp Ebike I will suggest you to skip the first few variants. Let the products evolve and service stations become functional then you can enjoy a Hero Gogoro ride comfortably.
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