Hero Vida V1 Review: Bringing Method Within The Madness Of E Scooters — IN PICS

Hero MotoCorp may have taken its own sweet time to bring in an electric offering but it has come out all guns blazing with an all new EV brand itself.

Hero Vida V1

The first product is called the Vida V1 and it is available in two versions depending on battery capacity. In a segment which has increased in both sales and also its own fair share of controversy, Hero MotoCorp has a rather interesting tagline- 'India's not-first electric scooter' along with promising more safety. When we rode it, the performance matches the claims with smooth performance and it feels quick along with the riding modes matching different riding situations while Sport is our favourite while we plan to test it again with the custom mode where you can customize the level of regen. (Source: Somnath Chatterjee)

The V1 Plus and Pro are certainly knocking on the doors of being a premium e scooter and that is seen with the design. The lines are sharp and it is an aggressive design, especially with the low-set LED lamp while the split-seat design is unique too. The rear styling is also similar and gets a rakish crisp look with the large LED strip plus a blacked out section. (Source: Somnath Chatterjee)

There is a split seat design and the storage space is divided into two with the total amount being a respectable 26 litres. The front holds the removable battery while the second one is for storage. The removable battery is one neat feature which none of its rivals have and it brings more convenience even if the battery is a bit heavy. (Source: Somnath Chatterjee)

The Vida V1 has a lot to match up and even beat rivals including a The 7 inches TFT screen with loads of features along with good visibility even in harsh sunlight. There is 4G connectivity, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi plus OTA updates while an app gets you an SOS feature when you are stranded to Geofence, track my bike, remote immobilisation and more. Other features include cruise control, navigation, follow-me-home light, keyless entry and more. (Source: Somnath Chatterjee)

The battery capacity is 3.94 kWh in Vida V1 Pro along with a range of 165km. There is a smaller battery pack with a lesser range of 143km. However, as said earlier, you can charge it via three options, including removing the battery to charge, home charging and fast charging too. With the Pro version coming at Rs 1.59 lakh, the Vida is priced a bit high but that is justified to some extent with the battery range and the overall experience. (Source: Somnath Chatterjee)

Its weight is with the segment standard while a short ride by us on the smooth track showed a comfortable ride with good agility. What's more the riding position is comfortable and we think in terms of rivals, the Vida offers a more balanced combination of ride/handling. (Source: Somnath Chatterjee)

The paint finish and the overall look is premium but the build quality could have been better but this was a pre-production unit and we will test it again soon with a production spec example. There are four riding modes- Sport, Ride, Eco and Custom. 6kW peak power brings in a 0-40 km/h time of 3.2 seconds while the top-speed is 80kmph. The Hero brand name and its reliability could make this a popular choice in the ever-growing electric scooter space. (Source: Somnath Chatterjee)