Honda Motor Co. has taken legal action against Hero Electric over a design infringement. The Japanese two-wheeler giant has accused the EV manufacturer of copying the design of one of its electric scooters and implementing it in the Hero Dash.
As per the application filed by Honda Motor Co. with the Delhi High Court, the Japanese firm has alleged that Hero Electric has copied certain design elements of the Honda Moove electric scooter, which is not on sale in India. These parts include the rear cover and the front and rear lights. Honda Motor Co. seeks to restrict the Indian EV maker from manufacturing, selling and advertising the Hero Dash electric scooter.
The Delhi High Court conducted a hearing through video conferencing on 29 May 2020 and asked Hero Electric to submit a response to the allegations on 2 June 2020. However, for some reason, the hearing has been rescheduled to 11 June 2020.
Hero Electric is a pioneer of electric mobility and the largest electric two-wheeler manufacturer in India. The company has set up a manufacturing unit at Ludhiana, Punjab, with a total installed capacity of 1,00,000 units per annum. However, the EV brand doesn’t fully design and develop its own products rather sources them from international vendors.
The Hero Dash electric scooter was launched in India back in August 2019 at a starting price of INR 62,000*. It uses a 48v 28 Ah Li-Ion battery with fast-charging technology. The battery pack can be recharged in 4 hours and offers a range of 60 km. Key features of the electric two-wheeler include LED DRLs, LED headlights, digital instrument cluster, USB mobile charging port, tubeless tyres, dual-tone body colour and graphics and remote boot opening.
Also Read: Hero Electric announces several offers under its ‘Clean Air Mission 2020’ online scheme
In other news, last year, a Vespa Primavera clone that was created by a Chinese company has been denied a design patent by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
