The electric two-wheeler revolution in India reminds us of the dot com boom where ideas were floated initially and while some got entangled in the web, some are now billion-dollar businesses. Coming back to the topic, a new electric two-wheeler startup called Simple Energy recently made tall claims about its new electric scooter. Previously Simple Energy, in their internal tests, had claimed that its e-scooter will do 280km, 0-50kmph in 3.2s and a 100kmph top speed. And now, the company has announced that its electric scooter has gone through ARAI tests and the results are impressive.
More details
According to the company, the electric scooter travelled over 230 kilometres on a single battery charge, while testing at (ARAI) Automotive Research Association of India.
It may be noted that the 230+km range was achieved in Eco mode. Simple Energy offers Eco, Normal and Sports modes. The certifying body said that the scooter has a top speed of 103kmph and a 0-50kmph acceleration time of 3.6 seconds. If you take a look at the current crop of electric scooters, this prototype still is leagues ahead. Scooters like the Ather 450X, Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube don’t even come close. Other features include an IP67-rated touchscreen display along with connected technology. Simple Energy also states that the electric scooter will be localized between 80 and 90 per cent for manufacturing. It has got a portable 6kg battery that can be charged 0-80 per cent (home charging) in 40 minutes, 0-100 per cent (home charging) in 1 hour 05 minutes, and 0-50 per cent (fast charging) in 20 minutes.
When will it arrive?
Its “Mark 2” production models are ready, which will be launched by February 2021. Production will commence at a 50,000 unit capacity plant in Yelahanka, Bangalore in June – July 2021. The company will start operations with four experience centres in each major city and two in smaller cities, with exclusive dealerships for service centres.
The products will be sold via the company’s website and online platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, etc. The brainchild of 24-year old Suhas Rajkumar, who is the company’s founder, the scooter with its minimalist appearance does look the part and although we are yet to see a production version, if it comes out looking like that, with those specs and at that price, we are sure many would be lining up to pick one for themselves.