VIDA VX2 Plus Review - Viva La VX2

The Vida VX2 is the latest player in a market that’s quickly crowding up. We took the new VX2 Plus for a spin at Nandi hills to find out what cards Hero has up its sleeve.

Photography: Kalidas M

The Vida VX2 is Hero Motocorp’s latest electric scooter offering, and its mission is to tap into a wider, more rural pool of consumers by mitigating the hassles of building and maintaining charging infrastructure, and reducing upfront purchasing costs. How does it aim to solve the issue of charging? Simple. The batteries come out of the scooter, and with the provided charging kit you can simply take it home and charge from any 5 Amp outlet. And what about the high capital investment issue? Well, Hero have rolled out a Battery-as-a-Service plan for the VX2 wherein you can lease the battery and pay per kilometre of usage. More on that later.

Aesthetically, the VX2 bears a strong resemblance to the existing V2, except with softer lines and a cuter, chubbier, and a more universally appealing design. Every external light is an LED unit with nifty little easter eggs peppered around, along with fashionable colour inserts that bring more life to the design of the scooter. There’s seven attractive colour options on offer, ranging from a funky matte Metallic Grey, to a youthful Matte Lime and Pearl Red, to a sophisticated Nexus Blue. Vida has pretty much all the bases covered.

Ergonomically, the VX2 is relaxed and comfortable to ride with a seat height of 777 mm, and neither will knee space prove to be an issue for taller riders, nor would flat footing for shorter ones. There are ample storage options with three cubby pockets on the front panel (along with a dedicated phone slot) and 33 litres of storage capacity under the seat, and the scooter is more than capable of carrying a hefty grocery haul.

The VX2 can be had in two flavours; the VX2 Go and the VX2 Plus, with the Go having a 2.2 kWh battery with an IDC rated range of 92 km, while the Plus sports a 3.4 kWh battery that has a rated range of 142 km. Both get a 6kW or 8.2 horsepower permanent magnet synchronous motor that generates a peak torque of 25 Nm, and is positioned on the swingarm of the VX2.

You can control the amount of power you’re putting down on the road via three riding modes: ‘Eco’, maximises range while ‘Sport’ maximises power delivery, and ‘Ride’ is positioned between the two as the perfect compromise. ‘Eco’ promises a range of 100 km by capping power delivery and top speed to 45 kilometres an hour, while ‘Ride’ ups the speed to 70 but the range drops to 75 km. The ‘Sport’ mode can take the electric scooter up to its top speed of 80 km/h, but the range prediction reduces to 65 km from the fully charged 3.4 kWh battery. There’s also a boost mode that you have to enable first by toggling through the screen menus. It helps you pick up speed when you are in Eco or Ride mode by surging the power output when you twist the throttle beyond approximately 70 per-cent, which comes handy during quick overtaking situations.

During our media ride, we used up about 70 per-cent of the battery to cover roughly 55 kilometers, cycling through all three modes and riding it in various high-torque demand conditions. I think Vida’s claims of range per mode are not too far off, and a 100 km range should be achievable in ‘Eco’ mode only. There’s a 580W charger bundled with the scooter, with a claimed fast charge time of 0 to 80 per cent in 62 minutes at one of Hero’s fast charging stations. Portable charging can achieve the same percentage with a claimed time of 4 hours and 13 minutes.

We had the opportunity to take the scooter through some rough patches of road and while the rear suspension is soft and comfortable, we think that the front fork could have been more forgiving, especially on rough roads. 12 inch wheels with 90/90 tyres in the front and 100/80 at the rear keep the scooter grounded, while a front disc and rear drum with the Combi Brake System setup do a remarkable job at stopping the scooter with a progressive feel and reassuring bite.

The VX2 Plus variant gets a 4.3 inch TFT display, while the Go gets a 4.3 inch LCD display. The UI is quite simple and straightforward, with the main screen displaying the speed, predicted range, charge left in both batteries, boost mode status, and phone connectivity. Owners can download the My Vida app and pair their phone with the scooter, allowing them to access turn-by-turn navigation on the dash and control music via a joystick switch. The My Vida app also displays stats about your VX2 such as charge and range remaining, fast chargers around your area, trip analytics, live-tracking, remote immobilisation, geo-fencing, and other quirky things.

Coming to the pricing, Hero has priced the Vida VX2 Go at Rs 84,990 and the VX2 Plus at Rs 99,990 ex-showroom. You can also opt for Battery-as-a-Service plan which lets you buy the Go and the Plus at Rs 44,990 and Rs 57,990 respectively, and lease the battery according to your monthly usage routine.

All in all, the VX2 is the same Vida recipe presented on a new platter. It is a more family-friendly, unisex, and accessible V2 that has been positioned to penetrate tier 2 and tier 3 markets, where EV adoption is low due to charging hassles and high upfront costs. While we wish the fit and finish was better, and the suspension was tuned to be more comfort oriented, it is still light and zippy to ride in sport mode, with a decent amount of utility and pillion comfort. That being said, the VX2 with the BaaS plan is priced quite competitively, and Hero just might have a potential winner in their hands with the VX2’s simple and adorable nature.