Numeros Motors Diplos Max first ride review

Gets the job done all right! It is a long electric scooter all right and looks a little different from the usual passenger-electric scooters that ply the roads. That being said, is it a bad look? Numeros Motors have the Diplos Pro plying the roads as a commercial electric scooter for fleet owners and commercial applications, and the Diplos Max that I had the opportunity to ride is the company's B2C take on things. So, what does the Diplos Max bring to the table? Let's get right to it. For starters, it does not look much different from the commercial unit.

Design and Styling
The Numeros Motors Diplos Max has a wheelbase of 1,430mm and it is 1,960mm long. It is a long electric scooter with quite a lot of room to get comfy. In terms of comfort, the pillion and the rider are both catered equally, which is seldom the case. The ground clearance is 150mm and I rode through some rough terrain and a few speed breakers as well, it did not scrape the belly once. The scooter is 720mm wide and 1,125mm tall, with a very accessible seat height. For the average Indian height of 5ft 8 inches, handling this 137kg scooter is a cinch. In terms of styling, the Diplos Max is offered in three colours â€" Red, Silver and Blue. All the three-paint jobs have a white stripe running the length of the scooter. The Diplos Max gets all LED lighting, with a small lamp in the 13-litre boot where your knick-knacks can be stored, not a half face helmet, trust me I have tried. The scooter gets a 5V USB port for smartphone charging, grab rails for the pillion rider, and even footpegs for the rider apart from the footboard. There is an motor-kill feature when the side stand is engaged and also if you let the scooter idle for more than five minutes, it will shut down the system and you will have to initiate a hard reset which is done by toggling a switch in the under-seat storage area. In terms of looks, the Diplos Max looks good but it does not have an outstanding road presence that will turn heads. Although, it is distinctive, courtesy of that long wheelbase.

The headlamp unit is placed in the apron, and while the round design with LED lighting is good, the design of the apron could have been a little better as it looks bland. At the same time the DRL unit and indicators are sleek, thus it looks a little sportier as compared to the rest of the body panels. The rear also looks a little flat, in my opinion, the design of the scooter needs to be worked upon if the use application is for passenger vehicles, because it still reeks of a commercial unit with a passenger paint job. Features The dash unit on the Diplos Max feels dated for an electric scooter for 2025. It is a small LCD display which looks even smaller because of all the unused space on the panel. It relays basic information like battery temperature, distance to empty, state of charge, speed and distance travelled. Also, the absence of features Bluetooth tethering, geofencing, fallsafe, whatsapp alerts, or even TBT navigation sticks out like a sore thumb especially when you consider the fact thst most of the competition houses them. I hope that Numeros Motors throws at least some them in to the production version of the Max. In terms of cycle parts, the Diplos Max runs on 12-inch wheels that come shod with TVS Eurogrip tyres. It gets an alloy front wheel and a conventional steel wheel at the rear. Suspension duties are done by a telescopic unit up front and an adjustable dual shocks at the rear. A commendable bit about the Max is that it gets disc brakes on both ends, a 220mm disc up front and a 180mm at the rear, with CBS (Combi-Braking System).

Powertrain

The Diplos Max uses a square tube chassis that houses an IP67 rated motor and a battery, and a combined 3.7 kWh battery pack consisting of two removable 1.85 kWh units. The product head told me that it has been done to reduce the weight and also for better output. And no, it cannot run on a single battery, both have to be plugged in for the scooter to function. The battery powers a PMSM-hub motor that pushes 2.7PS of power and 138 Nm of peak torque. The company claims an IDC range of 140km on a full charge and take around 3-4 hours to top up completely with the 1.2 kW charger that's provided on purchase. The range was not verified because of the limitation on testing time. The electric scooter has a reverse function along with two riding modes â€" Eco and Normal. The Eco mode has a top speed of 45kmph and yes, it takes its own time in getting there. It is a mode that is best suited when your prioritise range and you are in no hurry to get to your destination, because the acceleration is quite underwhelming. In this mode, overtakes are quite an affair and overall the experience is a little dull. Switch to the Normal mode and the acceleration does get better, overtakes will still have to be timed right because even in Normal mode throttle inputs aren't very responsive. in Normal mode top speed is up to 63kmph and that too takes a little time to get to. A sport mode would have been a welcome addition as it would have given an alternative for all those times when you have enough range and you are in a mood for some spirited riding. I had my cameraman sit behind me to scout for a few locations to shoot, on our way we rode on a couple of gradients, it got the job done but a struggle was evident. For better perspective, we both are slightly under 5'10 with my weight of 74kg and the passenger weight around 80kg.

The suspension is slightly on the stiffer side of things, it does not become too uncomfortable, but you will feel some bumps and potholes on the road. The two-piece seat has ample amount of room for both the rider and the pillion, so overall comfort levels are fine. You sit in a very neutral stance with your body and arms relaxed. Braking on the other hand is gradual and good, the bite is neutral for both the brakes, not too sharp nor too soft. There is predictability and a linear progression when the brakes are engaged, the CBS system works fine with little participation of the front brake when the rear brake lever is engaged, which is something that I liked. But overall, the riding dynamics are sorted for the Diplos Max, for an electric scooter that weighs just 137kg, it is very friendly to use for people of all ages. It is quite light on its feet and does not ask too much from you while you are on the move. But if performance or some excitement is one of your daily riding requirements, the Diplos Max might leave you wanting for more. Similarly, in terms of tech and features, the Diplos Max seems to be missing out on quite a few features.

Verdict

The price of the Numeros Motors Diplos Max will be announced on 17th January, which is close to the 2025 Auto Expo. Now, this space is filled by OEMs like Ather, Bajaj and TVS to name a few, vying for the fruits this space has to offer. Any product that enters this space will not only have to get the job done all right but also provide some incentives, be it in the form of features or an affordable price. Let's see how Numeros Motors tackle the pricing game