Hero Cycles is one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in India but the future is increasingly technological and therefore asked to collaborate with the Chinese conglomerate Xiaomi, in order to procure the components that will form their electronic cycles. The announcement comes from Pankaj M Munjal, President and CEO of Hero Cycles during the current Auto Expo 2020 held in recent days.
Xiaomi is known for the sale of ecological vehicles through various brands such as Himo, Yunbike and Qicycles to name a few and according to the Heo Cycles manager, between the two companies a synergy in the production and sale of electric bikes can be created. In particular, lineups will be created relating to the concept bikes of the future, such as folding bikes, fat bikes as well as "scooters". The combination of existing portfolios in the urban e-bike segment could only benefit both brands for market dominance in India.
Hero Cycles ready to take a ride on Xiaomi technology
In particular, Xiaomi would provide the batteries used in electric bikes as well as the autonomy management system, a bit like mobile phones. Think that the Himo T1 packs a 14000 mAh lithium-ion battery with a nominal voltage of 48V. The 14Ah cycle option allows you to travel up to 60 km on a single charge. The 28Ah version can go up to 120 km. Xiaomi in India last year presented the Himo T1 model, currently the third best-selling electric cycle in India. The highlights that the two companies will work on, in addition to the battery, will be the single button start, the combo switch multifunction and a digital display.
Some would think that the collaboration between the two can actually benefit only one of the two companies, in terms of competition, but in reality the direct rivals of the e-bikes are the electric cars, but in a world where everyone moves quickly also for short journeys the e-bike market is aimed at promoting a migration from 4-wheeled vehicles to 2-wheeled vehicles.
