Hero Electric to train over 20,000 mechanics to deal with EVs

India’s leading electric two-wheeler maker Hero Electric is set to train over 20,000 roadside mechanics across the country over the next three years. This is part of the company’s effort to deal with any issue its customers might face as part of its plans to instil confidence in buyers who opt for the green mobility.

Hero Electric also aims to set up around 20,000 charging stations across the country over the next two years to ease range anxiety issues. The Gurgaon-based firm has already trained 4,000 mechanics and has also installed around 1,500 charging points till date.

Naveen Munjal, Managing Director Hero Electric, said the electric segment is set to explode in the country in the coming years and so the company is on a move to further sharpen its competencies across various business verticals. “We have currently over 600 dealers and sub dealers in the country. It’s a multi-layered approach which we are focusing on,” he shared. “We have dealers and then we also have sub dealers in the periphery areas to cater to the demand of the customers.”

Munjal noted that in order to be close to the customer and take care of their day to day requirements, the company is training roadside mechanics. “The company has already trained over 4,000 such roadside mechanics across the country and the idea is to take up to 20,000 numbers by 2023 end or by early 2024,” he said. “They are going to be our first line or service points, so that’s what we are doing. Besides, for customers who still have range anxiety issues, we are creating charging infrastructure as well. We have already installed over 1,500 charging points, the idea is that in two years, we are going to take this to 20,000. So we are adopting a multi-level approach to give confidence to customers.”

In regards to business plans, Munjal said the company is aiming to sell one lakh units in 2021-22 fiscal, thus doubling its sales over 2020-21 fiscal where it dispatched around 53,000 electric two wheelers. “We are already at 8,500 units a month so now we are looking to continue this growth and expand from there. It is the bare minimum which we aim to achieve this fiscal.”

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He revealed that in 2022, the company would start looking at another plant which would take the total installed production capacity to close to 10 lakh units per annum in the next few years.