BANGALORE/NEW DELHI :

Hero Electric, India’s largest electric two-wheeler company, has partnered with BOLT, India’s largest EV Charging Network, to set up 50,000 EV charging stations in India in the next one year. As part of the collaboration, BOLT chargers will be installed in more than 750 Hero Electric’s touch points across India benefitting over 4.5 lakh customers. Furthermore, around 2,000 Hero Electric riders will avail free of cost BOLT charging units set up at their homes. With rising fuel prices, this tie-up is expected to boost EV adoption and the movement towards carbon-free mobility in India.

The partnership will help both Hero Electric and BOLT achieve their shared goal of providing a robust, affordable, and accessible EV charging infrastructure to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles in the country. The BOLT charging network will be leveraged both by Hero Electric’s enterprise partners and EV customers, significantly curbing range anxiety. Additionally, BOLT will be integrated within the Hero Electric App and website, offering a one-stop solution for locating a charging station, booking a slot, and payment. Post-installation of BOLT charging stations, individuals can choose between private/public mode of operation for their charging stations and decide the price depending on existing commercial/EV tariffs. Moreover, subscription-based plans will be announced for Hero Electric riders to ease their usage. The BOLT charging network is hardware agnostic and will integrate with any charging solution provider in the country. The BOLT OS comes pre-installed in many EVs and, BOLT’s revolutionary vehicles to charger connectivity (V2C) will enable a seamless fastag-like EV charging experience for EV users.

Hero Electric and BOLT will also be doing a Pilot for IOT tracking solutions for their vehicles. The pilot will also provide Fleet Management and Charging Management solutions to all Hero Electric B2B partners. BOLT will also integrate the BOLT OS enabled Smart speedometer solution with Hero Electric vehicles, enabling a smarter, secure, and connected ecosystem, along with BOLT Charging Network.

Mr. Sohinder Gill, CEO, Hero Electric said, “We are delighted to partner with BOLT as its charging network will offer affordable charging solutions further, encouraging the switch to electric vehicles. A robust charging network has aided the growth of EVs by curbing range anxiety among riders. Our mission is to enable carbon-free mobility and fasten EV adoption in the country by building a strong charging ecosystem and reskilling mechanics to offer an enhanced EV riding experience. We are positive that this collaboration will broaden our efforts to reach the set objective. This partnership will benefit the industry overall and allow e2W riders easy access to charging stations pan India.”

Commenting on the partnership, Jyotiranjan Harichandan, Co-founder, BOLT, said, “We are excited to partner with the country’s leading EV brand to fulfill our combined goal of an increased EV adoption across the country by providing EV users with an affordable, accessible, and ubiquitous charging network. This collaboration will help to create a seamless charging experience for lakhs of Hero Electric customers as they can use the existing Hero Electric app and website for discovery, booking and payment. With having a “Charger on-demand”, range anxiety will be history as we move towards achieving our goal of installing over 1 million charging points over the next 2 years.”