Simple Energy One launched at Rs 1.10lakh
Simple Energy has just introduced its first the electric scooter offering to the country â€" the One â€" and its priced at Rs 1,09,999.
At this price, the Simple Energy One will directly compete with the Ola Electric S1 which was launched a couple of hours ago at Rs 99,999, and also go toe-to-toe with the likes of the Ather 450X (Rs 1.13-1.32 lakh), Bajaj Chetak (Rs 1-1.5 lakh) and TVS iQube (Rs 93,000-1lakh).
The Simple One looks sharp, chiseled and futuristic even. It looks every bit the part of a modern-day electric scooter. The One has got these nice winglets on the front apron that add a nice, unique, sporty touch too. It's got a broad seat that appears to be accommodating and at 110kg which should make the Simple Energy scoot an absolute breeze to ride. The upswept tail section looks angular and shapely too.
The Simple One comes with a split 4.8 kWh lithium-ion battery setup, of which one battery (1.5 kWh, weighing about 6kgs) located under the seat, can be removed and charged at any 15A socket. Simple Energy claim that in the real world, the scooter is good to Range of 203kms in Eco, after being capable of going 236kms on the trot in IDC or 'Ideal Driving Conditions'. So much for range anxiety, eh? Plus, with the Simple Loop Fast charger, the One is claimed to charge at the rate of 2.5km per minute, which sounds brilliant.
Powering the One is a permanent magnet motor that produces 4.5kWh of nominal power and 72Nm of torque. Simple Energy's founder and CEO, Suhas Rajkumar also stated that the One is capable of accelerating from 0-40 in 2.95secs, 0-50kmph in 3.6secs and reaching a top speed of 105kmph if running on 100/80 section 12-inch tyres and around 90kmph if setup with the smaller 90/90 12-inchers (both tubeless). An unusual bit about the One is that it features a chain drive. No belt drive or hub-mounted motor to be seen here. The company say that it functions more efficiently on this setup and is cost effective too.
So, in short, when it comes to electric scooters, this scooter in theory should technically put your range and *cough* performance anxiety to bed, if you ever had them in the first place.
In terms of a suspension setup, the Simple Energy One gets a telescopic fork up front and a monoshock at the rear. Handling braking duties are the single 200mm disc brake with twin calipers up front while a 190mmsingle caliper disc manages the rear.
The One gets a sizably big 7-inch touchscreen dash, on which you can switch between the scooters four ride modes â€" Eco, Ride, Dash and Sonic. The Simple One also comes with a host of features and connectivity options like TPMS, onboard navigation, geo-fencing and vehicle tracking to name a few.
We're really stumped with the fact that Simple Energy has managed to keep the Scooters weight down to 110kg, with everything it houses.
The One will be available in four colours - silver, red, white and black.
Simple Energy plans to set up shop in 75 cities in 13 states by next August. The company has stated that it currently more than 100 vendors and more than 70 suppliers with a capacity of 10lakh units at its factory. Simple Energy is aiming to set up more than 300 charging stations across the country in the coming months.