Projects
Bikes
Xpulse
With only 6 employees and the support of external suppliers, another successful product of Hero MotoCorp was co-developed in Stephanskirchen.
Concept
The ″Cafe Racer T2″ was one of 4 concepts to showcase the diversity of the new Xpulse motorbike at EICMA 2018.
Vida V1
And we, the Hero Tech Center Germany, also made a major contribution to the development of Hero′s first electric scooter, Vida.
Xpulse
The first developed bike
The first bike developed with the current HTCG employees is the Hero Xpulse, which was presented to the press at EICMA 2018.
As an on- and off-road two-wheeler for the 200cc platform, it has become so successful that there are two more variants, the strictly off-road version of which is currently even being used in the Indian Rally Championship by our National Rider Team. We are very proud of that!
With a team of 6 employees
But let′s go back to the beginning. At that time, the team at HTCG consisted of only 6 people, so the tasks were coordinated with our network of suppliers and partners, and of course some colleagues from CIT were also involved. The engine and takeover parts, such as the gear and brake levers or the handlebar armature, were provided from India and we developed the frame, the bodywork and the peripherals.
Hands-on mentality
Many steps were tackled in a hands-on mentality and some of the employees got a taste of what had previously been unfamiliar areas. For example, the clay model of the tank. The sketches and design specifications came from India, but the clay model was created in our company. At first we tried it on our own, but we learned the hard way, so we hired external help. Our advanced styling did not exist at that time.
Concept
Concept ″Cafe Racer T2″
And only shortly after the development of the Xpulse, an in-house competition was called to demonstrate the diversity of variants of the Xpulse, which was then presented with the original at the EICMA 2018.
HTCG also participated with a concept bike ″Cafe Racer T2″. This bike was designed, engineered in consultation with the series designer of CIT and hand-built by us in our own workshop in Stephanskirchen.
Except for the lower frame and the engine, the ″Cafe Racer T2″ has nothing in common with the Xpulse. The frame was modified, the fork, the handlebars, the steering armature, everything was changed to achieve the current look. And one of the eye-catchers were the rear lights.
Vida V1
The next successful product
Also we were significantly involved in the development of the next successful product of Hero MotoCorp Ltd, albeit under the VIDA brand and in the scooter segment.
The Vida V1 and the premium version Vida V1 Pro are the first electric vehicles and were developed from scratch. Only very few parts were transfers from other products, as they often did not fit existing parts or had to be modified.
Collaboration between TCG and CIT
In many areas it was a close collaboration between TCG and CIT to bring together the experience of both sides. After all, who in Europe is aware that a Sari-Guard is part of the basic equipment of every two-wheeler in India? Or who thinks at first that during the monsoon season there is often half a meter of water on the road?
The first prototype
We built and tested the first prototype of both the vehicle and the battery pack here at the TCG. Everything about the battery pack, from the individual components to the overall concept, was fully tested in coordination with the HTCG.
Parallel to the development of the VIDA battery pack, we accompanied and supported the development of our own production line for the battery pack. This was a very exciting and experiential time for many, with several trips to India.
The first pilot production
And since the construction of the batteries fell exactly in the time of the pandemic, we started the first pilot production with an external partner in order to have enough battery packs for destructive tests and test drives.
