India: Surge introduces two-in-one electric scooter

According to a new report from Autocar Professional, Hero MotoCorp will start manufacturing the S32 within a year. People familiar with the development say the company could be ready to launch the new EV, which is the first of its kind, by the middle of 2025. Hero MotoCorp expects to sell only 10,000 units of the S32 annually, which indicates it sees this model as a niche product.

The S32 will have two registration plates, Pawan Munjal, Executive Chairman and Whole-time Director of Hero MotoCorp, said on the sidelines of the motorcycle tradeshow EICMA 2024 in Italy. The company worked with India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to define the category ‘L2-5’. MoRTH says the latter is “a two-wheeled vehicle of category L2 combined with a non-self-propelled rear module unit.” The driver can attach or detach its rear module unit as and when required. When they combine the rear module unit, the S32 becomes a three-wheeled vehicle of category L5.

Surge developed four versions of the S32 – PV, LD, HD, and FB, each with a different rear module constructed on a ladder frame. In the PV variant, the rear module transforms the electric scooter into an electric rickshaw. The LD, HD, and FB versions are for transporting cargo, featuring a pick-up truck-like cargo bed, an enclosed cargo box, and a flatbed, respectively. As a three-wheeler, the S32 offers a payload capacity of 500 kg.

The S32 and its rear module feature independent motors and battery packs. Surge uses a 3 kW motor and a 3.5 kWh battery pack in the scooter, and a 10 kW motor and an 11 kWh battery pack in the rear module. The company installs individual chargers and charging connectors, allowing customers to charge both battery packs separately.

In the default two-wheeler version, the S32 has a top speed of 60 kph, but attaching the rear module to use it as a three-wheeler reduces that figure to 50 kph. Customers will not require a special tool or equipment to convert it from one form to another, and they will be able to drive both forms with the same controls. However, they will need the driving licenses of the respective vehicle categories.

autocarpro.in, surgefuturemobility.com, economictimes.indiatimes.com