Hero Cycles Limited has partnered with Japanese firms Yamaha Motor Co Ltd and Mitsui to launch the country's first Centre Motor E-Cycle. This is the first time that Hero Cycles has partnered with Yamaha to bring out a product. Centre Motor E-Cycles are being used in Europe but it is the first time they are introduced in India.
The Lectro EHX20 is a centre motor powered pedal assist cycle that runs on a combination of manual pedaling with battery assist. This cycle has a triple sensor technology—torque sensor, speed sensor and crank sensor that will give the electric cycle a sharp pedaling response. The cycle will be able to run up to 60-70 km on a charge time of 3.5 hours. The cycle is priced at Rs 1.25 lakh plus taxes and is targeted at the premium segment. To begin with, the company aims to sell only 100 units of this cycle in the country over the next few months.
Interestingly all the E-Cycles currently available in the Indian market operate on rear hub motors that are usually used for commuting on flat surfaces and are primarily used for city commuting. In this bicycle, the centre motor is positioned directly between the pedals that helps in its performance and helps the cycle suitable for adventure sports and steep incline riding. The motor for this cycle will be from Yamaha’s electric drive unit and the E-Cycle will be manufactured at Hero Cycles’ Ghaziabad unit.
“This E-Cycle will have a display unit that will display the battery mode and other aspects related to the ride. We have been into the electric cycle business for around three years now and are seeing good traction in the market. We have also witnessed 100 percent growth in this segment. With electric vehicles receiving a huge policy push from the government, the market for E-Cycles is also expected to grow over the next few years,” said Aditya Munjal, Director of Firefox Cycles Limited and Hexi during the launch in Bengaluru.
This tie up of Hero Cycles with Yamaha Motor Co Ltd assumes significance as the company has deep expertise in electric bicycles and had launched the world's first electric power-assisted bicycle in 1993. This Japanese firm specialises in motorcycles, marine products, power products, industrial robots, and electric power-assisted bicycle, etc. The company has diverse business and wide variety of products and has proprietary technologies focused on small engines, chassis and hull, electronic control and robotics.
On the other hand, Hero Cycles Limited is considered as one of the largest cycle manufacturers in the world and has a manufacturing capacity of 7.5 million cycles per year. It has units at Ludhiana in Punjab, Bihta in Bihar and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. The company has a manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka as well.
