Hero MotoCorp is one of India’s largest motorcycle manufacturers. Catering to a wide audience, the brand’s offerings cover city models, scooters and utilities, as well as, much more recently, premium models such as the Mavrick 440. Hero MotoCorp also has a number of electric initiatives, such as Vida V1 and Surge, a wholly-owned startup dedicated to developing interesting electric concepts
At the recently concluded Hero World 2024, the Surge 32 was unveiled, and is certainly the first of its kind to come from an established, mainstream manufacturer. Hero describes the S32 as a “modular” type of electric vehicle, which can be used as an electric scooter for personal mobility and as a tricycle for transporting cargo or passengers. Essentially, the S32 consists of two main components: an autonomous electric scooter and a chassis with two rear wheels and no front wheel. So, technically, people who buy the S32 are getting a two-in-one vehicle.
Surge claims that it only takes three minutes to convert the scooter into a tricycle. All you have to do is attach the scooter to the front of the chassis, where the scooter’s front wheel will take care of steering the tricycle. The scooter’s rear wheel will not be used and will rest on the chassis platform. Both the scooter and the chassis have their own independent motors and batteries and the scooter connects to the chassis via an electronic device that allows the rider to use the scooter’s handlebars and controls to steer the chassis.
In terms of performance specifications, the S32 scooter has up to 6 kW of power or around 8 hp, while the chassis, to take account of heavier loads, has an output of 10 kW, or around 13.5 hp. As for the batteries, the Surge will use existing technology from Vida, a subsidiary of Hero’s EV.
In fact, a concept like this is completely new, and Hero MotoCorp had to work with India’s Ministry of Road Transport to create a new vehicle registration category called “L2-5”.