Hero Lectro launches its maiden purpose built cargo vehicle Hero Lectro WINN

New Delhi: HeroLectro, the EV arm of the Hero Motors Company (HMC), today announced the launch of its first purpose built cargo vehicle Hero Lectro WINN, an E Cycle designed specially to address the evolving needs of last mile e-commerce delivery in India. The first of its kind cargo vehicle to hit the Indian market, Hero Lectro WINN is expected to create a major splash in the e-commerce domain.

Hero Lectro WINN fills a major void in the e-commerce logistics space by introducing a unique solution with enhanced storage and payload capacity perfectly suited to the needs of short distance high density delivery trips. With the lack of purpose built vehicles for this segment emerging as a major need gap in recent years, Hero Lectro WINN is a revolutionary concept that promises to redefine the last mile logistics paradigm in India.

Notably, Union Minister for Road Transport &Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari has also pitched for the use of E Cycles as a cost-effective and emission-free mode of goods delivery. Speaking in the Parliament last week, the Minister underlined that promoting the use of E Cycles for cargo delivery will not only lower expenditure but also reduce pollution.

As compared to motorcycles on which a bulk of deliveries currently happen, a light engineered E Cycle with specially crafted storage and payload capacity offers a highly cost-effective solution by significantly lowering the cost per litre of goods storage space.

Leading e commerce players, FMCG Companies and logistics Service providers including Amazon, Xpress Bees, DS Group and DOT are already conducting advanced feasibility studies and are likely to adopt the product to achieve greater optimisation of resources.

“With e commerce witnessing a surge in India in recent times, the delivery density for the last mile has increased significantly. However, the absence of purpose built vehicles for this segment is acting as a major hurdle for cost and resource optimisation. Motorcycles which form the bulk of last mile delivery vehicles currently, have limited volumetric space and payload capacity which in turn increases running costs for delivery providers. By overcoming these constraints, Hero Lectro WINN E Cycle holds huge potential for enhancing incomes and unlocking profitability by increasing per day shipment capacity and achieving cost optimisation which comes from enhanced productivity offered by our solution” said Aditya Munjal, Director, Hero Cycles and CEO, Hero Lectro.

With e commerce and logistics service providers increasingly realizing the cost benefits of switching to purpose built vehicles, the cargo bike segment is witnessing major growth across the world. A study estimated a 50% jump in cargo bike sales in Europe last year with commercial sales growing parallel to private sales. The Indian delivery segment has the potential to replicate this trend if the market offers suitable cost-effective products.

Hero Lectro WINN comes with a series of features that make it a highly suitable cargo vehicle that is both affordable and reliable at the same time. Interestingly, most EVs globally suffer from this combination which limit their adoption. With 180 litres of goods storage space, hassle free charging with a swappable battery, and a top speed of 25 km/hour, the cargo E Cycle would allow delivery agents significantly increase shipments per day capacity enhancing their overall productivity manifolds.
Priced at Rs 40,000, the bike is highly affordable as compared to ICE 2wheelers or any other Electric Vehicles in the market. With negligible maintenance requirement and near zero fuel costs, the vehicle also allows significant cost savings over the course of its use. A pedal assist feature further allows users to overcome motor power deficiency in select situations and drive without any range anxiety that is commonly associated with other EVs.

A switch to a cargo E Cycle therefore implies considerable savings in operational costs along with greater resource optimisation.

For delivery agents who currently deliver average 40 shipments a day, a purpose built cargo vehicle can enable to take this number to up to 70~75, leading to greater productivity and enhanced income. At the same time with its greater storage space, it improves both convenience and safety by eliminating the need for delivery agents to carry heavily loaded backpacks while riding.

In addition to e commerce platforms, Hero Lectro is also in advanced talks with leasing companies to make Hero Lectro WINN accessible to delivery agents on affordable lease rents. Backed by world-class engineering and design capabilities, Hero Lectro is planning to revolutionise the logistics domain with a series of cargo vehicles.