Hero MotoCorp is planning to launch the Leap hybrid scooter in February 2015. This will make the Leap the first hybrid scooter to be manufactured in India. But India won’t get the scooter anytime soon. The Gurgaon-based manufacturer will first export the scooter to the international market and then will be sold in India.
The Leap scooter will be manufactured at the company’s Gurgaon plant. In the initial stages, Hero MotoCorp will manufacturer around 6,000 units annually, and depending on the demand, it will increase the production.
The Leap is powered by an 8kW electric motor, it will be fuelled by electricity stored in lithium-ion batteries. Electric motors have a reputation of being very torquey and this permanent magnet AC (PMAC) motor is no different. It might be low on power, but produces 60Nm of torque, which is huge considering the size of the scooter. It also has a ‘range extender – anon-board generator set’. It involves an efficient 124cc engine which will use petrol from a 3-litre fuel tank to generate electricity. This electricity is diverted to recharge the batteries. The petrol motor can extend the range of the scooter by upto four times than that of the battery, which can also be recharged by plugging the scooter into a wall outlet.
This is a very big development from an Indian company in the field of hybrid vehicles. There are few passenger car manufacturers who sell hybrid cars in India, and now with a two-wheeler manufacturer foraying into this segment, the industry will grow more.
Source: Autocarpro
