Home-grown two-wheeler manufacturer Hero Motocorp on Wednesday announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Gogoro to accelerate the shift to sustainable electric mobility in India.
The companies will establish a battery swapping joint venture to bring Gogoro’s industry-leading battery swapping platform to India and will collaborate on electric vehicle development to bring Hero branded, powered by Gogoro Network vehicles, to market.
Commenting on the new partnership, Pawan Munjal, Chairman and CEO, Hero MotoCorp, said, “Our strategic partnership with Gogoro is in line with our Vision - ‘Be the Future of Mobility which we are bringing alive through our Mission to ‘Create, Collaborate & Inspire’. Today marks another major milestone in our journey, as we bring Hero’s leadership in two-wheelers, our Global scale and innovation powerhouse, with the leadership of Gogoro in the Swapping business model, as they have demonstrated over the years in Taiwan and the rest of the world.”
“This partnership will further extend the work, which we are doing at our R&D hubs at the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur & our Tech Centre in Germany. The vision and commitment of Hero and Gogoro is perfectly aligned towards the common goal of accelerating the shift to Smart, Sustainable electric mobility in India and around the world.”
He said, “With this new partnership, we commit to introducing a sustainable mobility paradigm, first in India and then in other markets around the world. This partnership will strengthen and expedite the Indian government’s electrification drive and will have a significant impact on India’s energy and mobility future.”
“We are at a critical stage in the transformation of urban mobility and the evolution of smart cities. With more than 225 million gas-powered two-wheel vehicles in India, the need for smart and sustainable electric transportation and refuelling is vital,” said Horace Luke, Founder & CEO, Gogoro Inc.
“The Hero-Gogoro partnership addresses these challenges and will leverage Hero’s market strength and Gogoro’s industry-leading innovations to deliver smart vehicles and refuelling with Gogoro Network battery swapping.”
With more than 375,000 riders and 2,000 battery swapping stations, Gogoro Network manages 265,000 daily battery swaps with more than 174 million total battery swaps to date.
The Gogoro Network is an open platform for battery swapping and smart mobility services, delivering a fresh alternative to legacy fuel. Gogoro Network combines the power of connectivity, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to create a new generation of swappable battery refuelling that is smart, scalable and continually optimising itself to be dynamic and versatile for people, communities and businesses.
The Powered by Gogoro Network Program gives Gogoro’s vehicle maker partners access to Gogoro innovations and intellectual property, including its intelligent drivetrains and controllers, components and smart systems, so they can develop and roll out unique electric vehicles that integrate Gogoro Network battery swapping.