With the outbreak of Coronavirus in India, automobile majors have pitched in to help fight the disease in all manners possible. Hero Motocorp now joins this list by donating ambulances to help transport the patients in critical times.
Interestingly, the two wheeler major has not donated the traditional ambulances that are a result of a four wheeler vehicle. Instead, the company has built 60 trike (three-wheelers) ambulances to donate for the cause.
The base vehicle for these ambulances is the Hero Xtreme 200R. The company decided to add a sidecar to the bike to convert it into an ambulance. This sidecar basically functions as the carrier for the patient. With a flat bed, the sidecar can be used to transport the patient in critical conditions
To make it stable enough to carry a patient and ensure a smooth ride, Hero Motocorp has used a dedicated wheel, a swingarm and two shock absorbers on the sidecar. Right beneath the flat bed is also a compartment for a first aid kit and tool box for the bike.
While the trikes are not the best suited ambulances ever, they will certainly help serve a noble cause. The bike ambulances can be put to use in rural areas to transport patients to the hospitals. They will provide more access to such places which the regular ambulance is unable to reach.
To help these vehicles find a way like an ambulance, Hero Motocorp has used emergency lights and a siren on the bikes to help clear the way.
With its 199.6 cc motor producing 18.4 PS of power and 17.1 Nm of torque, the Xtreme 200R is the most powerful model in Hero’s lineup. So there is no doubt that the bike makes a promising prospect of empowering a makeshift ambulance to serve the people of the nation.
This, however, is not a singular act of generosity of its kind. Mahindra & Mahindra as well as Mercedes-Benz have promised to come up with ventilators to fight any steep rise in the number of Coronavirus patients in the country. Other OEMs have also pitched in.
Even the Hero Group has already donated Rs 100 crore to help fight COVID-19. Half of this amount has gone to the PM CARES Fund and the other half is being used for other relief efforts.
Article Credit: indiatimes