Hero-Zero Motorcycles partnership could spawn a sporty motorcycle which could take on the upcoming Ultraviolette F77…
Today, Hero MotoCorp announced that they are finalising their partnership with California-based electric motorcycle company, Zero Motorcycles, with an aim to ‘Co-develop Electric Motorcycles’.
They have further shared that the company’s board has also approved an ‘Equity Investment’ of up to USD 60 Million (~ Rs. 492 Crore) in Zero Motorcycles. Up until now, Zero Motorcycles have raised nearly USD 300 Million in funds and this amount from Hero MotoCorp will allow the company to have a sizeable stake in Zero.
The Zero Motorcycle partnership is Hero MotoCorp’s 3rd such partnership in order to accelerate their aim to enter & dominate the electric two-wheeler market of India.
Back in April of last year, Hero partnered with Gogoro to leverage the Taiwanese company’s expertise in battery swapping technology. The upcoming Hero Vida electric scooter will be the first scooter which will be utilising this battery swapping technology.
Also read – LML is BACK – 3 Electric 2-Wheelers Unveiled; Launch in 2023
They have further partnered with ReadyAssist to offer After-sales service & support to their B2B customers and also have joined hands with Bharat Petroleum to quickly expand the charging infrastructure for electric two-wheelers.
The Hero-Zero Motorcycle partnership is a very ambitious one. Hero MotoCorp will be utilising their strong manufacturing prowess alongside Zero Motorcycle’s brain power and technical know-how to create their own electric motorcycles. Initially, we expect the ero-Zero partnership to spawn a performance-oriented electric motorcycle to take on the likes of the highly-anticipated Ultraviolette F77 electric motorcycle.
There is a high chance that this partnership could facilitate the entrance of Zero Motorcycles’ premium lineup into the Indian market. This means highly capable machines like Zero SR/F with a claimed range of 229 km and cruising speeds of 177 km/h could make their way to our shores. It will not be a cheap machine though, mind you. In the U.K. it costs an equivalent of Rs. 21 Lakh, meaning only a few will be lucky enough to own such a marvel of technology.
