Hero Splendor Electric Is Coming! This Is What You Can Expect

What’s the best way for an auto manufacturer to venture into the electric two-wheeler segment? Honda showcased an easy way of going electric with the Activa e last year and based on everything we see on the paper, it seems like a winning formula. Hence, for Hero to make an impact in the electric motorcycle industry, electrifying the Splendor makes a lot of sense. 

The Splendor, an affordable commuter motorcycle based on a 1980s Honda two-wheeler, has been Hero’s mainstay in the motorcycle industry for decades now. Hero has been refining the formula over the years, bringing more fuel-efficient engines and certain modern features like alloy wheels, auto start/stop and a digital instrument cluster. However, the Splendor still runs on fossil fuels and in a world that is beginning to embrace EVs, it has to go electric. 

Hence, when news of a Splendor Electric broke out, none of us were surprised. This motorcycle will be coming out in 2027 and Hero is eyeing 2 lakh units per annum upon launch. It all sounds great but will it make sense for Hero to electrify the Splendor in the real world?

Hero Splendor Electric: When is it coming?

Based on a few media reports, the Splendor Electric has been under development over the past two years and upon completion of tests, Hero will aim to put it on sale in 2027.

While the launch is still two years away, the Splendor Electric’s potential arrival comes at a time when other mass market players are stepping into the CNG motorcycle segment. The Bajaj Freedom 125 CNG has given commuters a lot of convenience as far as fuel efficiency and ride comfort are concerned. TVS will follow Bajaj’s footsteps with CNG iterations of some of its vehicles.

In the midst of all this, Hero chose to avoid getting into the CNG dogfight and heads into the next chapter of electric motorcycles.

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What could the Splendor Electric have in store for us?

The Splendor Electric could be based on the same formula as the Activa e, i.e., use the platform of the petrol vehicle and replace the engine with an electric powertrain. In the Splendor’s case, the 100cc petrol engine could sacrifice itself for a similarly powered electric motor with a belt-drive transmission system. 

You can expect the onboard battery to offer at least 100 km of range on a full charge, although Hero could offer a larger battery capacity for the top-end variant. Hero could offer a couple of riding modes like Eco, City and, if we are lucky, Sports mode. We also expect Hero to offer LED lighting as a standard feature on the Splendor Electric. 

What remains to be seen though is the charging technology. Will Hero go for a tried and tested battery swapping technology or go for a fixed battery installation with a home-based charging network? 

Expected price

It is too early at this moment to judge the expected price of the Hero Splendor Electric, given that battery technology could evolve significantly by 2027, thereby affecting the price. However, if we were to make a wild guess, the Splendor Electric could come with a price tag of over INR 1 lakh. 

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