A new affordable electric 2-wheeler is being developed under the ACPD project.

According to a media report, Hero MotoCorp is planning to launch two new affordable electric 2-wheelers in July.

With the launch of the low-cost EVs, Hero aims to scale up its production volume, which currently stands at 7,000 units per month. It would also help increase the company’s market share in the electric 2-wheeler segment.

While the exact details of the new affordable electric 2-wheeler are still under wraps, reports suggest that the new model is being developed under the ACPD project. It aims to bring down the cost of electric scooters so as to compete with other ICE scooters.

According to estimates, the new products will boost production volume to around 13,000-15,000 units per month. Eventually, the company aims to scale it up to 20,000 units by this festive season.

Source: Autocar India

When you work in a 6 day/week- 12 hours/day job, everything needs to be planned. Luckily, the ASC is open on Sundays.

BHPian Castro Gunner recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

First service update:

Odometer reading- 950 kms

Recommended service interval:

The Plan:
"When you work in a 6 day/week- 12 hours/day job, everything needs to be planned.
Add to that, the nearest ASC is 15kms away from home.
Luckily, the ASC is open on Sundays."

The service:

Reached the ASC around 9.30 am so that can collect the vehicle and reach Home by lunch.
As expected, the floor manager said they can deliver the vehicle only by 5pm.
Tried waiting till 11.30 am, with no progress tried to make use of my only day off.

The test ride:

1.5km walk away from ASC, there are- KTM, Bajaj, TVS and Aprilia showrooms!
Went to Bajaj to test the NS 400Z. The showroom guy was professional and gave me the keys after few forms.
About the ride, of course I felt the increase in power from my SF 250 but there was no "upgraded" feeling. And the buzz from tank is definitely a let off.
Eagerly went to KTM, only to be disappointed by rejection for the lack of shoes for a test ride.

The lunch:

On one side losing your valuable day off is a bummer, the other side it is time for a peaceful, solo outside lunch (My kid being a toddler, peaceful meal is a luxury nowadays ).
Found a newly opened Domino's outlet and I generally don't miss the newly inaugurated Domino's outlets as they are liberal with the "cheese they put on their pizza"
Happily, me being the only customer, the pizza was delicious and full.

The service:

Coming back to the ASC, my vehicle was yet to be taken for service!
After some whining, finally the technician took the vehicle for a test ride in a trademark "full throttle mechanic style"
Vehicle was washed and again was waiting for the technician. Took a nap and half hour later, the vehicle was ready. God knows what "servicing" they did.

Took another 30 mins for billing and finally was about to leave, instinct telling something is wrong- checked the boot to find that my charger was missing!.
5 mins later, left along with charger.

Tata bye bye, see you @ 5000 kms.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I can sometimes start and run the electric scooter without the key. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when this issue happens, but it’s a significant concern.

BHPian shb19 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

My Experience with Hero Vida V1 Plus - Need Feedback from Fellow Owners

I recently purchased the Vida V1 Plus and got it delivered in Bangalore yesterday. While I understand that new-age startups like Ola have faced a lot of criticism for focusing on sales over product quality and after-sales service, I was hoping for a better experience with a well-established player like Hero. However, it seems some of the issues from the launch vehicles persist, even two years later. Here are a few problems I've encountered right out of the gate:

• Water Leakage: Water is still entering the under-seat luggage compartment, including the battery area, despite this being a known issue since launch.
• Switchgear Issue: The right-side switchgear has some play, an issue that Autocar India pointed out during their test drive, and it's still not resolved.
• Rear Brake Ineffectiveness: The rear brake has very little stopping power and requires full force to engage properly, forcing me to rely more on the front brake.
• Vida App Issues: The app only works about 50% of the time, which is frustrating.

Additionally, I've faced a couple of other issues within just 2 days of ownership:

• Charger Malfunction on Delivery: The charger wasn’t working at delivery, and I tried to convince them that the AC charger only charges the bike to 90%. After insisting, the dealer replaced the faulty charger.
• Starting the Bike Without a Key: I've noticed that I can sometimes start and run the bike without the key. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when this issue happens, but it’s a significant concern. The service team couldn’t reproduce the issue during their test rides and said they’d send a technician if it happened again.

I haven’t seen much mention of the second issue online. Has anyone else experienced this or any similar issues with their Vida? I'd really appreciate any insights from other Vida owners!

Here's what BHPian Castro Gunner replied:

I have been riding a V1 Plus for the past 2.5 months with 1500kms on Odo.

• Water Leakage- Yes, it is a problem and Hero is just selling with the same design. Actually, they have some other plan with the rear design- even in one of their ad it was seen that the rear plastic was removed for additional storage. However, for the current customers, the Hero's way of compensating is by giving them a waterproof bag.
• Switch gear- I don't face that issue. Yes, the switches are bad, but not an issue. So you can fight with ASC.
• Rear brake ineffectiveness- The brakes are CBS units and pressing only the rear brake doesn't work very well. Actually, the left lever is not a rear brake but a CBS brake (you can see that in the manual as well). Using both the brakes works well.
• Vida App- 50%!! For me, it opens once in a blue moon. Can't do anything about it.

• Starting the bike without a key?!! This is scary! It should be checked out.

Here's what BHPian Funny replied:

I have a Vida Pro with 2K+ kms on the ODO. Here are my observations:

Water Leakage: It cannot be fixed since it's a design fault. Hero is providing a waterproof bag to new customers which fits in the rear storage area. Lame solution, I must say. For me, the battery compartment remains relatively dry whereas anything kept in the main storage area will be soaking wet after a downpour.

Switchgear Issue: Known and widespread issue. Even my switchgears are not easy to operate, sometimes you need to press really hard for certain switches to work and it gets even more difficult to operate once it gets wet from rain or washing. Once it dries up, it starts working again so I haven't thought about getting it replaced since I believe Hero doesn't have a new/fixed version of it, it will be the same defective replacement.

Vida App: For me, it mostly works but sometimes when it doesn't then restarting the app mostly fixes it. But the app experience itself is bad, it's ultra slow and some features don't work/load at all. They had revamped the app this year but I think it needs another revamp to become properly useable.

Rear Brakes: The real let-down of this EV. It's almost non-existent and feels wooden-like, you will have to rely 90% on the front brakes and the other 10% will be the combination of forced-regen + rear brakes. I don't find much difference between the stopping capabilities of forced-regen (opposite throttle) and applying rear brakes, it's that bad.

Starting without Key: I also faced this issue initially but I figured out why it was happening. One fine day when I went to clean the scooter without taking the key fob, I accidentally pressed the unlock button and surprisingly the scooter got unlocked, I checked my phone to see if the App had opened or was running in the background but that wasn't the case. I tried starting the scooter and it did get started which was confusing and scary. Then I went up to my house to check if the key was present in its place or not and it was there. That made me think, I tried moving the key a little farther inside the house and went to check the scooter. As expected, the scooter didn't unlock this time. The smart key works within a meter radius of the EV. I had my Vida parked in the Ground floor parking of my house and I stayed on the 1st Floor. My room is just above the parking area and I used to keep my key in a wardrobe which is exactly above the place where the scooter was parked. So now, I started keeping the key-fob in a different area of the house which solved the mysterious unlock issue for me.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Hero V1 Plus was available at 97000/- incl road tax and registration. Considering the credit card- cash back, the on road price was 1L. Immediately I've booked the scooter.

BHPian Castro Gunner recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Disclaimer:
"These are purely my take on the scooter which is relative to my motorcycling experience.
My total mileage with scooters are- Activa- 1500kms, Ola S1- 0.5Kms. And mileage with motorcycles- Yamaha crux- 10k kms, Yamaha Saluto 125- 28K kms, RE Bullet 350- 7k kms, Gixxer SF 250- 52k kms and n number of borrowed rides"

Backstory:

I own a Gixxer SF 250 for the past 4.5 years clocking 50000+ kms. While there is no problem with the motorcycle I believe that it will start showing its age from now on (Bore piston kit changed at 35k kms under warranty). True to that for the past 4 months I am observing a drop in fuel economy(from 35kmpl earlier to 32kmpl now) without any issue with the bike itself. With my current situation continuing, I want to keep the bike for at least 5 more years without an upgrade.

The Solution:

I should give my SF 250 a rest(plan to use it only for touring{if any}/weekend ride) to prolong its life. Now considering cost as a main factor, EV came into the picture. And being a recent father, scooter made more sense.

Requirements:

Should be reliable, decent top speed, with a minimum true range of 60kms, On road price 1.2L max

Expectations:

The observations of my research was that any EV motorcycle will have niggles and when it fails it is going to take some time for the repair. It was common with all the brands. So mind was groomed to brace any problems if may come

The selection:

In a pursuit of relishing a hassle free ownership, shortlisted only the major manufacturers.
i.e., Ola, Ather, TVS, Bajaj and Hero"

Ola: Ola S1X seemed perfect. It had everything I wanted at a cheap price.
But the user reviews were horrible. I have never seen a product selling this much and has these many issues. With my friends it was either hit or miss, just as good as tossing a coin. And one more thing that I observed was that the probability of issues were higher on S1X compared to S1pro.
So, rejected."

Ather Rizta: The perfect scooter with a price on it.
Hands down the best scooter brand from what I understood of the reviews. But 1.4L on road. So rejected"

Chetak: The top speed is 65kmph. That's it, rejected.

Vida: Perfect for my need and the niggles reported by owners were okay for me but pricing it equal to ather was a bummer. Rejected.

i Qube: This one is a perfect family scooter. But 1.46L on road, so rejected.

So, finally the plan was put off, may be after an year. But then I've received a brochure from a Hero Dealer about an offer in flipkart. The Hero V1 Plus was available at 97000/- incl road tax and registration. Considering the credit card- cash back, the on road price was 1L. Immediately I've booked the scooter.

Delivery:

The vehicle with HSRP number plate was delivered in a week from the date of booking. Throughout the process, the representatives were very helpful and considerate

The vehicle was delivered in a decorated background with a photo session and a patiently explained tutorial and PDI. This was so special, because this was the first time I'm getting this experience in buying a motorcycle. Ironically this was my cheapest (inflation adjusted) motorcycle purchase.

The package:

1 scooter, 1 portable charger, 1 medical kit, 1 Tool kit, 1 Helmet, 2 Mechanical keys(For under storage), 1 Electronic key

The freebies:

1 Vida waterproof bag of good quality, few key chains

Experience with the scooter so far:

New addition

Meanwhile, preparing for less usage

The positives:

1. "FEEL": The biggest fear I had about EV is their "lifelessness". And I am pleasantly surprised in the way they ride.
This motor driven vehicle gives a slight buzz to feel the "life" and combined with the regen, there is a good fee back between the rider and the ""engine"""

2. Engine/Motor- Absolute strength of the vehicle. This made me to miss my petrol engine less.

3. Performance- I've never expected this much performance from a commuting scooter. Honestly at speeds less than 50kmph this is more fun than my SF 250.
In sports mode on an offroad surface, whack open the throttle and a wheel spin is guaranteed!! If it were front heavy like a sports bike I'm sure even Asphalt roads will struggle for grip.

4. Riding modes- There are 3 modes- Eco, Ride, Sport- And all of them are useful.
Eco- First and foremost this mode is ""useable"". I remember in Ola it is absolutely useless. Top speed limited to 47kmph and has enough torque to make short(in traffic) commutes enjoyable
Ride: This is the GO-TO mode for me. Gives enough range, peppy. Top speed limited to 70kmph
Sport: The UTOPIA mode.

5. Throttle response- When I say E scooter, the thing that comes to my mind is the "Bounce" scooters which were available in Bangalore till 2 years ago.
These are basically the "Yulu scooter" of that time, and that throttle response- ughh. I still remember that vividly because of its irritability.
With such memories, this modern EV gave me a pleasant surprise! And it is not just relatively good, but is as good as a premium sports bike.

6. Value for money- Considering my main requirement as reliability, this is definitely a value for money purchase at 1 L on road

7. Handling- Again I never thought that a scooter could handle this well (I have not ridden Ather).

The Negatives:

1(a). Built quality: Actually most of the vehicle is well built but there are areas like around dash board, above foot board, below the rear seat... It is an absolute college product.
I have absoultely no clue how a listed firm had the guts to do such thing in a production model."
The plastic in this area is very good and the paint quality is superior.

The gaps and the poor plastic

1(b). Switch gears: Pathetic it is. Starting from the power button, multiple presses are required.

2. App: One word- useless. Most of the day it doesn’t even open

3. Electronics & attention to detail- In relative to the competition this department lacks

4. Service network:- No! The vehicle will not be serviced in every Hero showroom! There is a cold war between the sub dealers and the main dealers/company.
So either sales or service, most of the showroom is not interested to hear the name Vida.
Even in Bangalore I have to travel 15 kms to service my vehicle.

Mean while me trying to get maximum savings

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Acro is an electric learner’s bike aimed at young riders.

Hero MotoCorp has filed a design patent for a new electric off-road bike in India. It could become the first electric motorcycle sold under the Vida sub-brand.

In 2023, Hero MotoCorp had showcased two electric motorcycle concepts at EICMA. These were the Lynx and Acro. The bike featured in this patent image appears to be the latter.

The Acro is an electric learner’s bike aimed at young riders. It has a single seat with a flat handlebar, a raised front fender, and centre-set footpegs. 

The Acro electric bike is equipped with a telescopic fork at the front and mono-shock suspension at the rear. It doesn’t appear to have a front brake.

The Vida V2 Lite is powered by a 2.2 kWh battery pack offering a range of 94 km.

Hero MotoCorp has announced its entry into the sub-Rs 1 lakh e-scooter segment with the Vida V2. The new electric scooter is available in three variants: Pro, Plus, and Lite, with prices starting at Rs 96,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The Vida V2 looks similar to the V1. The e-scooter features dual-tone body panels with a fairing-mounted LED headlamp, a 2-piece seat, and a 7-inch touchscreen instrument console. It comes with features like turn-by-turn navigation, vehicle telematics, cruise control, keyless entry, and regenerative braking.

The Vida V2 Lite is powered by a 2.2 kWh battery pack offering a range of 94 km and can achieve a top speed of 69 km/h. It comes with two riding modes: Ride and Eco.

The Vida V2 Plus comes with a 3.44 kWh battery offering a range of 143 km. This variant has a claimed top speed of 85 km/h.

The V2 Pro is the most expensive variant and uses a 3.94 kWh battery pack. It has a range of 165 km on a single charge and a top speed of 90 km/h.

The Hero Vida V2 comes with a 5-year / 50,000 km warranty and a 3-year / 30,000 km battery warranty.

Hero Vida V2 ex-showroom prices:

• V2 Lite - Rs 96,000
• V2 Plus - Rs 1,15,000
• V2 Pro - Rs 1,35,000

The Vida Z gets removable batteries just like the Vida V1 sold in India.

Hero MotoCorp has revealed the 'Vida Z' electric scooter for the European market. It was unveiled alongside the three other products at EICMA 2024.

The Hero Vida Z looks like a modern and trendy e-scooter. It has an LED headlamp with integrated LED DRLs, a flat seat, a grab rail with an integrated pillion backrest and a flat footboard.

According to the company, the Vida Z is based on a modular architecture. It can be powered by various batteries ranging from 2.2 kWh to 4.4 kWh.

Hero hasn’t provided any more details about the Vida Z. However, the e-scooter gets removable batteries, just like the Vida V1 that is available in India.

Hero replaced the faulty equipment with a new one since the electric scooter was under warranty.

BHPian m2badri recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

The problem was diagnosed as being the charging equipment that came with the vehicle. They replaced that with a brand new one since it was still under warranty. Since then I haven't had any battery charging issues.

I used to take out both the batteries and charge them at home but for the last few months, I have created a charging point closer to the parking on the corridor - still a bit of extra effort, but the good thing is both batteries get charged & I don't have to manually change the batteries for charging both of them.

The vehicle performance has been good and I really like driving it - always on the Eco mode and hardly using the ride and sports mode. I manage to get around 100 to 105 kms of range on a single charge - which is decent, given the actual range that shows up in the display is only 114 kms for 100% battery (not 165 kms as it's claimed to be - even now in their advertisements!) I am very surprised as to how Hero and other EV companies are doing this range thing to fool the customers. Some government intervention would be good to have - to tame these EV big players and be very truthful about the range.

I recently gave my vehicle for 1000 kms serving - nothing specially done except for washing the vehicle / greasing where required. I had a faulty horn, so they changed the complete left-handle horn / indicator assembly under warranty. The cost of the item that I saw in the invoice was around 650.

The Vida app is a pain to use. I have raised many issues with them but to no avail. It's just the same. The customer care would advise to check with the service center and the service center would advise to check with the customer care. The customer care will give me a call when I am at work and If I don't get to talk to them, they will simply close the ticket. I had to re-open the ticket many times, specifically telling them to respond with their updates through email. It has always been "sorry for the inconvenience" type of email and the issues with the Vida app have never been resolved.

Few Vida app issues:

1. The odometer in the app and the vehicle display vary (by around 25 kms)
2. Vehicle management function shows up a grey screen and nothing shows up even after 5 mins
3. My subscriptions including RSA are available in their system, but it doesn't show up in my Vida app. It was showing up before and suddenly it stopped showing up
4. The telematics subscription is around 1300 rs or so, and it is valid only for 6 months. I see no reason to pay for this since the app and the features don't work at all
5. Connecting the app to Bluetooth and wifi is a hit or miss. If it works, you can use your phone to unlock, start and lock the vehicle. You don't need the remote key at all.

In summary, the vehicle is still in the exploratory phase and a lot of these issues are yet to be sorted out and Hero despite the initial euphoria hasn't done anything noteworthy to keep up the hype and provide the value for money that the customers have trusted and invested in their EV product - Vida V1 Pro.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The electric scooter can also be charged at the Ather Grid charging network.

BHPian Funny recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Took delivery of my Vida Pro on 5th July. Got a helmet (yet to receive) and a storage bag as freebies from Hero. I had booked it on 26th June.

Here are my first impressions after riding the scooter for more than 100kms within 3 days of its delivery!

Yays

• VFM product from the reputed Hero brand (considering the ongoing discounts)
• Super convenient online booking through Amazon and Flipkart which means you can purchase using a credit card and avail of additional cashback
• Good suspension, absorbs most of the undulations and provides decent ride quality
•  Acceleration is good, you will enjoy riding it in traffic once you get used to it
• Good fast charging network since it supports charging from Ather grid as well
• Features like removable battery, car-like remote key, side-stand cut-off, dedicated SOS button, portable charger with its dedicated storage slot, boost mode for quick overtakes in Eco mode, useful and convenient cruise and park modes, factory fitted center stand, ample under seat storage which fits a full face ISI helmet easily and spacious seat for pillion which can also accommodate a kid in between comfortably

Nays

• Hero's mismanagement with respect to initial pricing and subsequent heavy discounting, the initial buyers will be disappointed looking at the discounts now
• The switch-gear looks premium but doesn't function like it, the feedback from most of the switches is poor and you end up pressing them more than once to make them work, mushy and non-tactile operation
• Vida app is not seamless to use and certain functions don't work even after almost 2 years of its launch, it feels like a crude app although they seem to have updated the app interface recently
• Basic display which doesn't support many features like integrated maps (only turn-by-turn navigation which is not very useful), a documents section with a "coming soon" label since launch and buggy integration with the app
• Horn sounds very mild, mirrors are not very useful due to their flawed design/placement, no storage area in the front to keep your phone or other smaller items securely
• The rear drum brake is not up to the mark, I did not find much difference between the stopping effect of the rear brake and manual regen (twisting throttle in opposite direction), so you have to rely a lot on the front discs for actual stopping power. I use the rear brake along with the manual regen for slowing down the scooter for speed-breakers etc

Mehs

• Range seems to be low for a 3.94kwh battery capacity, I assume there is some optimization loss due to dual and removable battery setup
• Due to fewer sales, there aren't many Vidas on the road which can be a negative or positive based on how you look at it (dud-product vs exclusivity)
•  The dealership experience was average, I had to follow up frequently to ensure a smooth delivery experience. Although my SA was not pushy about taking their insurance or accessories so I opted for my own insurance which led to additional savings
• Lack of official accessories like guard set, cover, seat cover, mobile holder etc. They only have side step available currently in BLR and the guard set is supposedly under development and will be launched in a few months according to my SA
• The looks of the scooter are subjective, I personally didn't care about the looks but my Red Vida seems to be growing on me, especially from certain angles
• I am not a fan of white LEDs on vehicles but they seem to be doing the job just fine, need to check the efficiency during rains
• The split-seat setup is a little cumbersome to operate with one hand but it does work without any issues as long as you know how to open/close it with the correct technique, thanks to the many YT videos for the tips!

Will update more details when I clock more miles on it. Here are a few pictures of my new ride

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Regarding the power and range of the electric scooter in the Sports mode, it's comparable to Ather.

BHPian sreerama recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I like and have got a Hero Vida V1 Pro. The scooter is definitely not a small scooter and the seat height is higher. I am 182 cms & it's comfortable to ride for me as well as my wife who is 164 cms and uses it every day.

We have covered around 6500 kms in 8 months. There are a few niggles in the vehicle itself like it randomly fails to turn on sometimes rarely but it's ok. It's a daily driver and we have not bothered to check with Hero on it since it's not a major one as of now. I am planning to use the app and scan for issues that could have been registered in the vehicle control unit (not sure if it's the right term) like the ECU in IC engines.

Regarding the power and range in sports mode, it's comparable to Ather. If you drive sedately it consumes .85 to .1% of battery per km (117-100 kms). If you drive in the Ride model, the max speed is capped at 65 and it's sufficient for the around the city. It will consume approximately 1.05 to 1.20% per km (95-83 km) where I have also used sports mode. These values were checked during the initial days of the ride. I have not completely driven and tested in sports mode.

I learnt from the Battery literature that it's not good to use the first & last 20% of the charge regularly. So I use only between 25 to 78 % of the battery and don't charge it fully or discharge it fully. Sometimes I do charge it up to 98% once in a while but have never drained it below 25%.

The pull in sports mode is so much that it could be rather kind of rash driving on Bangalore city streets. Just for a background, I do drive a CBR250R. But upto 40 kmph, the instant torque in sports mode from Vida is so much fun which a small-capacity IC engine cannot give you without revving it up. Revving an ICE in dense traffic will usually make you look odd with its sound.

That said, its power tappers off after 60-65 and the progress is slower than a typical ICE. I feel ICEs are better with building speeds w.r.t bhp and electric is all about instant torque for the city.

The suspension is so soft that it doesn't give me any confidence post 70kmph on the ring roads. The front is so much soft swallowing bumps. The downside is that it robs the stability at higher speeds. I am planning to use 20w fork oil or increase the oil quantity if possible when it's due for the service.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.