Yesterday marked quite an eventful day for the Indian automotive industry and for the EV segment in particular because two of the most hotly anticipated electric scooters officially broke cover and their prices are out too. The two new kids on the block are the Ola electric scooter and the Simple One. While we have already covered the former here, it is time to shift our focus on the Simple One electric scooter which is every bit as exciting as the Ola electric scooter. Simple Energy has priced its first electric offering at a mouth-watering price of INR 1.10 Lakh, excluding subsidies. There’s a reason why we have pegged this sticker price as mouth-watering because the Simple One has a lot to offer!
Looks
If you think that the Ather 450X is ripped and sculpted, wait till you see the Simple One! While the Ola electric scooter looks a bit quirky and even ‘cute’ at times, the Simple One could hurt you with its razor-sharp styling. Every body part incorporated to mould the Simple One has sharp edges, making it one of the sportiest looking scooters out there.
Specs
It derives its power from a class-leading 4.8 kWh lithium-ion battery paired to a midship-mounted electric motor. The battery provides power to a 4.5kW motor that puts a claimed max torque figure of 72Nm. This helps it propel from 0-40kph time of 2.95sec. Simple Energy has claimed that the One can achieve a top speed of 98kph or 105kph, depending on the tyre choice.
Speaking of tyre choices, one variant gets a 90/90-12 front and rear tyre, while the other uses 100/80-12 (front) and 110/80-12 (rear). Simple Energy has included four ride modes in the mix: Eco, Ride, Dash and Sonic. All thanks to its largest-in-segment battery pack, the Simple One, as claimed by the company, boasts of a 203km real-world range (Eco mode). It takes a claimed 2.75 hours to charge the fixed part of the battery from 0 to 80 percent, with the home charger.
Features
To be offered in four colour options, the scooter has a mid-drive motor along with a portable battery and boasts smart features like a TFT touchscreen instrument screen with navigation on the go, Bluetooth and 4G connectivity, geo-fencing, OTA updates, remote telemetry, TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System), vehicle tracking, vacation mode and the system also gives you details about the nearest fast charger location.
Availability
Simple Energy is now a three-and-a-half-year-old company. The brand has currently 120 vendors along with 70+ suppliers and has a capacity of 10 lakh units at its Industry 4.0 Factory. Simple Energy says that it is aiming for 300+ charging stations in the coming three to four months. During the first phase of the launch of Simple One, the e-scooter will be made available in thirteen states. The company has claimed to achieve localisation of almost 99 percent.