Motorcycle major Munjal group's Hero Electric India on Monday rolled out two variants of its battery-powered e-scooters here for providing zero carbon emission two-wheelers to the new generation of riders.
"Our two new models Optima ER (extended range) and Nyx ER are eligible for FAME-II benefits offered by the government to promote and encourage the increasing use of electric vehicles," Hero Electric chief executive Sohinder Gill said at the launch here.
With Optima priced at Rs 68,721 and Nyx at Rs 69,754, the scooters are also suited for commercial usage, as they require lesser investment to run and maintain.
As part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP), the central government provides incentives to the stakeholders for using two-wheeler and four-wheeler electric vehicles with zero emission and reducing import of fossil fuels like petrol and diesel.
Hero Nyx ER
Under the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacture of Electric Vehicles) scheme, the government will install, at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore, charging stations to power the e-vehicles in towns and cities across the country in coordination with the state government, manufacturers and their dealers.
A initiative of the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in 2015, the scheme incetivises production and promotion of eco-friendly vehicles, including electric and hybrid.
The scheme's phase one, which began in 2015, was completed in March 2019 while the second phase began on April 1 and will be completed by March 22 at a total cost of a whopping Rs 14,000 crore in creating infrastructure.
The Gurugram-based company with 3-lakh unit per annum manufacturing facility at Ludhiana plant in Punjab plans to have 1,000 touch or charging points across the country by 2020 from 615 currently to ensure its users will be able to re-charge their e-scooters at the nearest point.
"We plan to expand our presence and operations in the B2B space as mobility in future will be increasingly e-driven," said Gill.
As the leading maker of e-vehicles, the company is in sync with the state's vision to promote and foster adoption of e-mobility in the country.
"We will also invest in research and development (R&D) to roll out smarter and faster e-vehicles, which are going to be the norm," said Gill