Hero MotoCorp is Building Hybrid-Based Two Wheelers; Details Here

The future fuel for automobiles will be electric, hybrid or both, and that's yet to be seen. However, one thing is clear - all the automobile manufacturers will shift to cleaner fuel options and ditch petrol and diesel engines. 

Amidst this, a development from Hero MotoCrop has emerged suggesting that they are working on hybrid technology for their upcoming two-wheelers. 

Hero Hybrid Two-Wheelers: Overview

After being asked if there are any plans for Hero to launch products with CNG fuel, the company’s CEO, Niranjan Gupta, stated, “The market will continue to see alternative powertrain technologies. As you know, there is ICE and there is EV, where the industry is doubling down. We are working on flex fuels and ethanol-based fuel technology. In the long term, hybrid technologies are also being worked on.” 

Bajaj Auto recently launched the world’s first CNG motorcycle which has been making headlines across India and globally. As we reported earlier, TVS is also working on a CNG-powered scooter. Now, Hero is one of the leading players in the Indian two-wheeler market and that’s why they also need to come up with alternative fuel-powered vehicles soon so that they are not left behind in this transitional phase.

Hybrid vehicles use an engine, a battery and a motor system to aid in performance and fuel economy, resulting in a much cleaner footprint compared to petrol/diesel vehicles. Currently, there are many cars in the Indian market which offer hybrid powertrains, but this technology is not very popular amongst two-wheelers yet. 

Currently, the Yamaha Fascino, a 125cc scooter is the only two-wheeler in the country to offer a hybrid powertrain. Hybrid vehicles are generally a little more expensive than their ICE counterparts but there are subsidies from some states to promote these cleaner vehicles which should result in the popularity of hybrid vehicles in the future.

Hero already has an electric scooter under the Vida branding, so, they can easily build a hybrid powertrain as well, and being a mass-market manufacturer, they can also price it aggressively, thereby creating a wider audience.