Hero Vida VX2 Plus First Ride Review

PHOTOGRAPHY: ARVIND SALHAN

Lack of charging facility in parking spaces and high upfront cost are two of the biggest hurdles for EV adoption, says Hero MotoCorp. And to address these issues, and make more people jump into the EV bandwagon, Hero’s EV vertical, Vida, has now launched its new range of electric scooters – the Vida VX2. Launched in two variants, the VX2 Plus and VX2 Go, with a starting introductory price of Rs. 44,990, Vida certainly seems to be serious about making an electric revolution in the two-wheeler industry. But does being affordable mean cutting corners elsewhere? That was the question I had in mind, before swinging a leg over the Vida VX2.

Also Read: Vida VX2 Prices Now Begin At Rs. 44,990

Design, Ergonomics & Practicality

The VX2 makes an immediate impression in the looks department. It’s well-proportioned, looks trendy and attractive without being garish, and to my eyes, it is a good-looking scooter which is pleasing to the eye. The VX2 is positioned as a family scooter and to that end, its design is neither over-the-top, nor too boring for younger riders. It has a pleasant air about it, and that should make it universally appealing. With seven colour options available, the VX2 Plus should offer a choice of colour for a variety of customers of different age and gender.

Also Read: Vida VX2 Electric Scooter Launched At Rs. 99,490

Lighting is all-LED, and on the VX2 Plus, there’s a disc brake up front with standard combined braking system (CBS). The 12-inch wheels at both ends give it a nice stance, and the flat and wide seat offer a comfortable perch, for riders of various height and build, as well as a pillion. The riding position is neutral, and the position and reach to the footboard will not have you bend your legs in a knee-up riding position as some other electric scooters will have you do. For my height, the overall ergonomics are quite friendly, although I suspect taller riders (of over 6 feet height), may face some issues with knee room.

Up front, the frunk offers over 6 litres of storage space and a few handy pockets to store small items on the go. On the right side behind the apron, there’s even a compartment to place your smartphone, conveniently placed under the USB charging socket to charge on the go. Under the seat, there’s ample space (an impressive 33.2 litres on the VX2 Go, and 27.2 litres on the VX2 Plus). Even on the Plus, there’s enough under-seat storage space to store a full-face helmet, with more space left for some additional items.

Features, Tech & More

The VX2 Plus has a 4.3-inch TFT screen which offers good visibility of all necessary read-outs while on the go – speed, battery percentage, range left, clock and tell-tale lights showing various indicators, including side-stand warning, limp mode and more. But it’s the MyVida app which opens up a long list of app-based features, including navigation, geo-fencing, remote tracking, trip analytics battery analytics, over-the-air updates, vehicle location, tracking and a long list of other useful features. It’s a comprehensive app and even offers information on available charging stations and network in and around your location.

The VX2 Plus has three ride modes – Eco, Ride and Sport (two on the Go – Eco and Ride) and each mode offers different performance and range. Eco mode is designed for maximum range and top speed is capped at 45 kmph, with claimed maximum IDC range of 142 km.

According to Hero, real world range in Eco will be around 100 km for the VX2 Plus. Ride has maximum speed of 70 kmph and claimed real-world range drops to 75 km. Sport offers full performance and maximum speed of 80 kmph but range will drop to 65 km. There’s also a Park mode, which offers both reverse and front crawling with speed limited to 5 kmph.

Performance & Dynamics

Open the throttle, and the Vida VX2 Plus surges ahead with a nice hum from the swingarm-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor. Peak power is 6 kW (around 8 bhp) and 25 Nm of peak torque ensures there’s plenty of shove from the electric motor, even at speeds of between 60-70 kmph. Eco mode is for those who prefer range over performance, but for most use cases, Ride mode offers decent performance for everyday use, although performance here is limited at the top end.

Sport mode offers the full range of performance, and the VX2 Plus feels perkiest and its enthusiastic best in Sport mode. But for those wishing some juice in Eco and Ride mode, there’s a cheat code as well – a “Boost Mode” which can be activated on the TFT console. With Boost Mode activated, a twist of the throttle offers full performance even in Eco and Ride mode, for the occasional quick overtake, or a climb up a hill or flyover. Boost Mode has a minor lag in Eco mode but works seamlessly in Ride mode. It’s a convenient feature to have full performance at your disposal, just in case you need it.

In the dynamics department, the VX2 Plus offers a stable and planted feel, even though our brief test route didn’t offer us any twisty corners to sample its handling abilities. For the most part though, handling is predictive and overall dynamics are well-sorted. Ride quality is pretty good as well, although there’s some bounce from the front end which is noticeable going over patches of uneven road, or some off-road sections. It’s not alarming, or put you off balance, but at high speeds, there’s a slight bounce and judder from the VX2 Plus which is noticeable and can be felt. The brakes, with CBS and the front disc, offers decent stopping power, to slow down in a hurry, or to come to a complete halt.

Battery, Charging Time & Range

For any electric scooter, battery capacity, charging time and range are important factors. And this is where the VX2 Plus scores over the VX2 Go, with its twin removable batteries with 3.4 kWh capacity. The Plus offers more range and more performance but takes more charging time as well. With the bundled charger, you can charge the twin batteries (each weighing around 10 kg) indoors and charge them overnight, or while at the workplace, from any conventional 5A power socket.

Charging the batteries from 0 to 100 per cent is said to take 5 hours 39 minutes and charging them from 0 to 80 per cent is expected to take around 4 hours 13 minutes. On the Go, with a single 2.2 kWh battery, charging time is less, but so is range. Maximum real-world claimed range on the VX2 Plus is 100 km, while maximum claimed real-world range on the Go with the smaller battery is just 64 km.

Then, there’s the Vida fast charging network, which has over 3,900 fast chargers across India, spread over 250 cities. With the fast charger, the VX2 can be charged from 0 to 80 per cent in just 62 minutes, and from 0 to 100 per cent in two hours. And that’s not all. The company says, in a city like Delhi, there’s one fast charger in a 3 km radius, and in smaller cities like Cuttack, there’s a fast charger in a 1.3 km radius. With both the convenience and ease of home charging with the removable batteries, and a strong fast charging network, range anxiety is something which should be taken care of by anyone looking to purchase a Vida VX2.

Pricing & Value

The main USP of the Vida VX2 is its pricing. With the base Vida VX2 Go being offered with an introductory price of Rs. 44,990, the VX2 is certainly going to get the attention of consumers. The catch though is that the price is introductory and is available only for those who take battery-as-a-service (BaaS), a subscription plan where the customer pays for the kilometres used every month.

Even with the introductory period over, the Go will eventually cost just Rs. 59,490 with BaaS. The VX2 Plus is available with BaaS at an introductory price of Rs. 57,990, which will eventually cost Rs. 64,990.

For those customers who don’t want to avail of battery-as-a-service, the full price of the Go will be Rs. 99,490 and the Plus will cost Rs. 1,09,990. Introductory full prices are Rs. 84,990 and Rs. 99,990 for the Go and Plus respectively.

Battery-as-a-Service

Battery-as-a-service is a unique pay-as-you-go concept, where the upfront cost of the scooter becomes more affordable, while offering customers the option to pay for average kilometres used on the electric scooter.

Depending on the plan selected by customers, the cost per kilometre of usage works out to between 90 paise to Rs. 1.41 for the Vida VX2 Plus, while for the VX2 Go, the cost will work out to between Rs. 1.24 and Rs. 1.47, depending on the minimum guarantee of kilometres to be used per month, as well as the plan tenure.

Over and above the upfront cost of the scooter in BaaS, there are two other significant advantages as well. The company promises to provide free access to the fast-charging network for BaaS subscribers, and when over time battery health reduces by 30 per cent or more, the company promises to replace the batteries of the VX2 free of charge!

Verdict

The Vida VX2 is an impressive electric scooter in every way. It looks good, rides well, and more importantly promises to do away with range anxiety with the convenience of charging at home or anywhere with a conventional home charging power socket. Then, there’s the 3,900 and growing network of fast chargers which offer quick and convenient fast charging alternative to juice up on the go.

More importantly, with the BaaS option, the Vida VX2 promises to make electric scooter ownership affordable, with the convenience of paying as per usage. If India’s commuters are looking to go electric, the Vida VX2 offers a compelling case of practicality, affordability and convenience. If only it had some more maximum range to boast of, at its attractive BaaS pricing, the Vida VX2 could very well have had the possibility to make customers want to go, “charge it, shut it, forget it” and make it a runaway success!

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