Hero Electric to launch a range of scooters

Ahmedabad, Apr 30 (UNI) Hero Electric, a 100 per cent subsidy of Hero Group, today announced its plans to launch a range of electric scooters in the low and high speed Electric Vehicles (EV) category.

The Company also announced an investment of around Rs 80 crore to boost its manufacturing plant of EVs in Ludhiana besides the development of its R&D facility for innovation in EVs.

Announcing this, Hero Electric's Managing Director Naveen Munjal said, ''Hero is committed to prioritise low-polluting transport systems and has stepped up its research in areas that involve zero pollution.'' The Subsidy has set up a state-of-the-art R&D cell at Ludhiana and Delhi to develop and manufacture indigenous world-class EV motors within a year to suit both high-speed and low-speed vehicles. It is also conducting research to improve the quality, efficiency and life of batteries and other critical components that run these EVs.

''We have received an encouraging response for our Electric Scooters, especially among youngsters, housewives and older people, who find our models cost effective, convenient and safe. In order to cater the increasing demand for our EV models in the market, we have doubled our production capacity in our Ludhiana factory from 220 units a day to 440 units a day across two shifts,'' Mr Munjal said.

''With this enhanced capacity, we are targeting sales of 70,000 units this year. To reach this sales target, apart from the strong network of dealerships across the country (150 dealers in the West, North and South regions), we have also made necessary arrangements through excessive training programmes with the dealers and regular interaction with the customers,'' Mr Munjal informed.

Hero Electric earlier entered the Electric Scooter segment in the year 2007 for technical collaboration with UK's Ultra Motors, wherein Ultra supplied Motors for EVs. However, with Ultra Motor's partnership no longer in existence, Hero Electric has tied-up in place with some of the best Motor Controller and Batteries manufacturers of which form a part of EVs electronics.

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