How does Hero MotoCorp’s Vida V1 stack up against rivals?

Hero Vida V1

India’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp has finally joined the electric-scooter race with the launch of Vida V1 on October 7, a development that will be keenly watched for its impact on the larger electric vehicle market.

Hero is up against its two biggest rivals—Ather Energy and Ola Electric—in the premium e-scooter space. It will be an interesting battle, as Hero owns a 34.8 percent stake in Ather, with another round of funding (Rs 420 crore) set to see the share go up by another 2 percent.

The company knows it is a late entrant in a red-hot market and is looking to make a virtue of it. Its campaign is built around the idea that it’s better to take time to craft a wholesome product than be the first to launch an unfinished one. Hero is relying on its manufacturing experience to instil faith among customers. Will that be enough? Here’s how the scooter stacks up against the competition:

Battery size

Hero has decided to go with the two variant approach, much like Ather Energy and Ola Electric which have a top-end flagship along with a less expensive version of the same scooter with a smaller battery and fewer features.

It’s much the same with the Vida Plus and the Vida Pro. Vida Pro gets a 3.94kWh battery pack, while Vida Plus gets a 3.44 kWh battery pack.

Though the size rarely indicates performance, it does affect the overall range. It can also add to the vehicle’s overall weight, which without the added performance can work against the vehicle as it will consume more charge.

Unlike its competition, the Vida V1 does get removable batteries. Whether this proves to be an advantage or disadvantage depends on whether you’re ok carrying two battery packs, each weighing 11kg, back to your apartment.

That said, like Ola and Ather, the Vida can be charged at the parking spot and will soon benefit from a nationwide fast-charging network. The best of both worlds is what Hero is going for. Hero MotoCorp has developed the batteries in-house.

Price

The base variant of the Vida, the V1 Plus, is priced on par with the top-end models of Ola and Ather, which puts it at a disadvantage because it has a smaller battery pack than the S1 Pro and the 450X Gen 3.

With a starting price of Rs 1.49 lakh, after Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME)  scheme subsidies. The base version has a claimed range of 143 km, which in the real world will roughly be 105-110km. The only way it can overcome the price disadvantage is if its real-world range is in the same ballpark as the claimed range. The top-end claims an even bigger figure of 165 km, which in the real world will translate to 125-130 km, which is the sweet spot.

Also read: Not easy for India to go from ICE to EVs: Pawan Munjal

Hero MotoCorp is trying to leverage its brand power as a legacy bike maker. In a developing technological space, Hero is stepping in as a legacy bike maker, which practically created the two-wheeler commuter bike segment in India.

With decades of manufacturing experience that saw the best-selling and most robust two-wheelers in the country, Hero is counting on public trust to help the Vida play catch-up.

As such, the brand has claimed to have gone above and beyond to put the scooter and its battery technology through gruelling tests. How it fares in the real world remains to be seen once the scooter deliveries begin in mid-December.

Tech

Much like the Ola S1 Pro and the Ather 450X, the Vida V1 scooters get a 7-inch TFT touchscreen, which can be used to turn the scooter off. Keyless entry allows you to turn it on. It gets an SOS button, three riding modes and a “limp” mode, which will allow the scooter to go an additional 8 km or so when the battery is on its last leg.

Yes, electric scooters are zippy but the point is not how quickly they can hit 60kph, it’s how long they can sustain high speed before the battery juices out or the system overheats.

Having learnt from Ather Energy, Ola limited top speed to 80kph. Allowing for anything more on a city commuter scooter is not only counterproductive, its dangerous and irresponsible, which brings us to acceleration.

The Plus does 0-40kph in 3.2 seconds while the Pro does it in 3.4 seconds. Neither of these times really matter. Zippy as it may be, the true test lies in how the scooter manages battery energy at such times, how well it recovers it, and how long it can sustain it.