Update – We came across a report on Telegraph India which reveals a bit more about the Quark 1. A company official talking to the newspaper has said that the segment-shifting vehicle will use a low voltage system. The company is considering all three options – slow charging, fast charging and swappable battery system for its powertrain. It must be noted that the Indian government at this point does not offer incentives (under FAME II) for vehicles with swappable batteries.
13 March 2020 –
Last month Hero Motocorp unveiled a new electric concept, the Hero Quark 1, which it is calling as the world’s first class-changing vehicle. The Quark 1 is a two-wheeler and three-wheeler rolled into one under the Hero Hatch Electric Modular Mobility project, Hero Motocorp’s in-house incubation cell.
Talking to Rediff, Pawan Munjal, the chairman of Hero Motocorp has confirmed that there is no production plan for the Quark yet. He said the company has not looked at the commercial production concept for modular mobility, and it was “still early days” for the segment. Munjal conceded that the “good concept” has a “bright future” and that a lot of work needed to be done to the get the project off the ground.
The two-in-one concept can be used as an L5 category three-wheeler and L2 category two-wheeler, under the Motor Vehicles Act. The Quark 1 can be interchanged from a two-wheeler to a three-wheeler with the interchange mechanism that retracts the rear wheel. Powered by M360 and AMSEP (Advanced Modular Scalable Electric Powertrain), the concept has been designed to reduce vehicle density in India.
From the looks of it, the scooter part of the Quark 1 can be separated and used independently as a personal transport. When integrated into the rickshaw body, the vehicle can be used for the commercial segment for e-commerce deliveries and last-mile transport. Hero Motocorp has stated that the idea for Quark 1 came from horses (and horse-drawn carts), used before the advent of the internal combustion engine.
Some of the features of the Hero Quark 1 include front disc brake, a large digital display on the handlebar, wide passenger seat and dual headlamp setup.
There are no details available at the moment regarding the launch of Quark 1 or its specifications. Hero Motocorp introduced this concept at its Hero World 2020 event held at Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur last week. Hero also introduced three motorcycles – Hero Xtreme 160, Hero Passion Pro and Hero Glamour, and also the Hero XPulse 200 Rally Kit – at the event.
[Source: Rushlane.com, GaadiWaadi.com & Rediff.com & Telegraphindia.com]
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