Hero MotoCorp is ready to enter the electric two-wheeler space, reports Moneycontrol. Quoting one of the component suppliers, the source report says that the company will launch the Duet-E as its first electric scooter in the next few months.
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The Hero Duet-E was first showcased almost four years ago, at Auto Expo 2016. It carried the same styling as the internal combustion engine-powered Duet scooter, although with Electric Drive badge on the apron and green highlights on the body panels. The production-spec Duet-E should retain the family-scooter oriented styling of the vehicle from the Auto Expo 2016, the features could be a bit different.
Firstly, Hero MotoCorp may replace the conventional lighting setup for a modern, full LED hardware. Products from rival brand such as Bajaj Auto (Chetak Electric) and TVS (iQube) are already equipped with full LED lighting, and thus we expect to see a similar setup on the Hero Duet-E. We also hope to see a colour TFT display on the electric scooter from Hero MotoCorp.
The Duet-E electric scooter that Hero MotoCorp had a range of 65 km and a 0-60 km/h acceleration time of 6.5 seconds. The production-spec model, with the latest battery technology and hardware, should deliver improved range. The rivals such as Chetak Electric and TVS iQube, for reference, boast a range of 95 km and 75 km respectively.
Hero MotoCorp holds a stake in Ather Energy and it should benefit from the learnings of the Bengaluru-based startup to develop its own electric products. Ather Energy currently offers two products – 450 and 450X in select cities in the country.
Speaking to the website, a company spokesperson said:
We don’t comment on market speculation. Hero MotoCorp is fully committed to driving sustainability and green mobility in the country... Our internal EV programme is on track and we are working towards introducing mass-market products and solutions in a phased manner. However, we would talk about specific products and their brand names closer to their launch dates.
Also Read: Ather 450X vs Chetak Electric vs TVS iQube - Latest electric scooters compared
Expect the prices of the Hero Duet-E electric scooter to hover around the same levels as its rivals. The Chetak is available from INR 1,00,000 (ex-showroom), while the TVS iQube is priced at INR 1,15,000 (on-road, Bengaluru).
[Source: Moneycontrol.com]
