[girishglg]

Firstly I am a guy who has sworn on the traditional IC motor be it for the four wheelers I own or the motorcycle. Speaking of motorcycles, I am a very big fan of them more commonly called in our land as bikes. I have an first generation Bajaj Discover 125 circa 2005 make which is still serving me well for my meagre usage in and around my locality for the odd errands. Though I love bikes, I am not the biker kind and still love to do the long drives in the comfort of my cars.

That said the question you may ask is - Why am I even having this dilemma of buying an electric scooter? And the answer to that is that, it is not a straightforward requirement (at least for me) and hence would like your valued inputs to come to a informed decision.

So all these questions started with the current situation in hand that is I have a bike which is quite old but in decent working condition and perfectly usable for short runabouts. However the my better half has a very bleak opinion about it and feels it should have been disposed a long while ago for a better set of wheels as in my case preferably another bike.

But now I feel that at this juncture of my life which I prefer to use my two cars which are the Alto 800 (again used for city runabouts) and the trusty EcoSport TDCi (mainly for the highway runs and for all the other travel needs), there is not a requirement for another mainstream two wheeler which can be a bike or a scooter.

Some of the key thoughts running around my mind if I go in for a new two wheeler are-

1. The two wheeler space is in the crux of getting electrified (EV) with the biggies such as Ola, Ather, Hero etc gunning with big launches and investments.
   
2. However I call all these launches as version 1.0 as these vehicles are still being introduced, tested and upgrades made to both their hardwares and softwares to make them perfect for the V2.0 so to say.
   
3. Hence feel that it is not the right time to invest in such models for the next two years or so till they finally get it right, set up the support infrastructure and iron out all the major niggles and flaws.
   
4. Have a requirement for short runabouts hence not especially worried about range or speed, but it should be able to carry two persons with some groceries without much of a hassle. So if the low speed models can do this with ease at a cheaper investment then why not go in for one for a couple of years and then buy a mainstream high performance one once things stabilize.
   
5. For convenience sake would go in for a scooter/ scooterette (many people refer it commonly to as Scooty but I would associate it to only one company who made this legendary model - TVS)
   
6. The charging infrastructure is still at a nascent stage as we living in an apartment do not have any community charging points etc, hence a vehicle with removable batteries would be a plus (however hate the point that it should be carried to and fro from the house everytime it requires a charge)
   
7. The cost of acquiring one of the latest launches such as Ola etc is north of a lakh of rupees and given all the issues listed above, feel that it is a little early to do so and become a guinea pig for the manufacturers to try their tricks on the first adapters.
   
8. I would like to typically feel, test drive and get to know the vehicle physically in a showroom and also check out their service facilities while buying a vehicle rather than book it over an app and get it delivered like an Amazon parcel (sorry to offend anyone but just call me very old school )
   
9. That said with Gods grace I can go in for any of those available offerings such as Ola, Ather, TVS etc if there is a compelling reason that I should invest in them, however all the above points get me thinking about it. Also would like to clarify that I would surely not go for a traditional scooter like Activa or Jupiter as I believe the time has come for its demise (as in moving towards EVs would be the new normal)
   
10. Last but not the least, I hope that if I pick up an entry set of electric scooter it would be easier for my better half to get introduced to riding a two wheeler for the first time in her life given that currently she only know zipping in and out in the car. And this in the long run would be quite and efficient and convenient way of moving around locally.

So that brings us to the options for buying a electric scooter at an entry level where it is broadly about two types -

1. High Speed - Have rated speed over 45kmph and need RTO and Insurance
2. Low Speed - Have rated speed upto 25kmph and no RTO

There are some of those low speed models such as Okinawa R30 more details in their website (https://okinawascooters.com/buy-now/book-now/r30/r30/) which is the low speed version of their Ridge+. Given that Okinawa is now a well established Indian brand (though sports a Japanese name) and has a good spread of dealerships across the country, this seems to be one of the prime specimens on my radar currently.

Would like to get your advise on -

• How is the ownership experience of owning an Okinawa electric scooter especially the R30?
• Are there any other low speed models that are established and reliable in the market?
• Given my thoughts and requirements should I go in for a low speed model or the mainstream electric scooter (not going for IC scooter for sure) afterall?
• Any other considerations to make while going for an electric scooter?

PS: Mods please move this thread to any relevant one if found relevant (I could only find one for traditional scooter vs electric)

[condor]

1. Unless your usage will be sufficiently high, I dont see a point in investing in an EV 2W at this time while the products are yet to mature.
Did you see that piece on SM where an Ola switched into reverse mode at 102kph ? I dont know if it is true, but it sure gives an indication of the state-of-art level of these EV's.

2. NO to low power scooters, for safety reasons. IMO - far better to get a regular power scooter, and use it like a regular 2W.

3. Chinese ? I wont touch with a barge pole. Forget the nationalism part, but just the cheapness image is sufficient. An old saying about chinese maal - chale to shaam tak, nahi to chand tak.

[shancz]

No experience with two wheeled EVs but I would strongly advise against low speed units(<50kmph) because I see the acceleration as an active safety feature.

Also would request to stay away from the cheap ones as the the Li-Ion battery pack is a potential hazard if not properly implemented which I doubt happens in those units.
We already have threads reporting fires, posts by fellow BHPian Electromotive are quite informative.

What to buy ?
If it has to be an EV then go with folks you can trust to have done a good job like TVS/Bajaj/Ather(not Ola, they're yet to have sufficient vehicles on ground without major malfunctions). But you will be charged for the same.

So better to get something more conventional for now and let the EVs mature.

[Kosfactor]

KA05 - why do you need a city runabout? everything is available at a walking distance, a decent pair of flip flops would do just fine. For the remaining things you have the cars.

[Sarath_]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

KA05 - why do you need a city runabout? everything is available at a walking distance, a decent pair of flip flops would do just fine. For the remaining things you have the cars.

If flip flops are too green for you then you can also try out some e-bikes for a nice workout and heart strong.

Don't have any personal experience with them but they seem like a good urban commute vehicle for ~5km or greater as per your convenience

Example
https://www.choosemybicycle.com/en/bicycles/e-bicycles
https://www.herolectro.com/
https://www.motovolt.co/

[girishglg]

Originally Posted by condor

Did you see that piece on SM where an Ola switched into reverse mode at 102kph ? I dont know if it is true, but it sure gives an indication of the state-of-art level of these EV's.

2. NO to low power scooters, for safety reasons.

This news about Ola switching to reverse mode is just . All points out to niggles and teething issues in the software driving the vehicle. Very dangerous for anyone and especially for a newbie such as my wifey if she starts using it.

The low power option was one of the major reasons of interest especially for my better half to begin her two wheeler journey but quite didn't get the safety reasons you mentioned.

Originally Posted by shancz

No experience with two wheeled EVs but I would strongly advise against low speed units(<50kmph) because I see the acceleration as an active safety feature.

Again here didn't quite understand the issue about safety in low speed units would be great if you can elaborate what you mean. My understanding is that due to the less powered motor the speed and acceleration would be limited and that should be ok for short hops around the neighbourhood.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by girishglg

My understanding is that due to the less powered motor the speed and acceleration would be limited and that should be ok for short hops around the neighbourhood.

That's the gist of it. If its for casual usage inside residential premises/area it could work.
But the battery-safety issue has to be checked.

[silverado]

Has anyone had any experience with Aurita Infiinty?
It seems a decent electric cycle for very short distances ( Approx 5 kms radius )

[Ahmed]

It has been almost 2 months with iQube for me. For the most city rides, ECO mode is more than sufficient. On a longer straight road stretch, POWER mode is handy. One charge is sufficient for a run of about 70+ kms in ECO mode and about 55+ kms in POWER mode. Power gradually reduces once the battery is 50% used up. iQube comes with reverse mode. Its basically a TVS Jupiter with an electric engine and a plastic body. iQube was the only one available in Aurangabad Maharashtra in NOV 2021 when I had purchased it. Now Bajaj Chetak is also available. I hope this information helps. Ciao !

[Proxima]

I have an Ather 450X. It's terrific. Strongly recommend.

[Sran]

One of my friend needed an ev scooty due to rising fuel costs and his daily drive of 50+km. He already has a 125cc bike with good mileage and a safari storme. Due to the nature of his work the drive includes unpaved roads with a pillion rider.

He first booked pure ev in a haste but was not convinced by it after riding it for a day and returned it. Then he bought a Okinawa ipraise+ and in the 4 months of owning it he is happy with it. I have also driven it twice and found it to be good. The price is a bit steep to my liking at Rs 1lakh+ but he finds value in it. The only problem he faces is faint noise from front fender. Once the accelerator wire broke which was promptly replaced and the mechanic told him to keep a spare one as it can be replaced by any mechanic and not just by Okinawa specialist. With no fancy gadgets and cost above a lakh but with on ground dealer availabilty and not just a faceless entity like ola, I find okinawas needs more attention than it gets.

[Paraag]

Originally Posted by girishglg

.

Would like to get your advise on -

Although I don't own an EV, based on your requirements, I would say look at nothing other than the TVS iQube, especially since you are in Bangalore. It would fit your requirements perfectly.

[rajshenoy]

I have been waiting for Ola to sort out their teething issues and I think in a year or two, we might be indeed ready for mass market EV. Ather seem to be the only one who can give some competition and the likes of Bajaj/TVS/Suzuki/Honda seem to be busy milking their ICE portfolio and delaying EVs

Okinava/Hero and others are all just selling re-badged Chinese bikes. So my vote is to wait for couple of years to see real EV progress.

[T-Bone]

Dear Girish,

I have been using a LOW speed bike for 8 years now. Happy to say that it satisfies all my run about requirements.

e-scooter was mainly purchased for my wife to drop/pick kids to/from school but ended up using it to office (bommanahalli to EC) when school is closed for vocations. And yes, it was able to carry loads. My wife, two small kids and myself have all travelled together for shopping/roun abouts so yeah, it CAN carry decent amount of load.

Some precautions to be taken:
1. Since it is low speed, make sure you stick to extreme left of the road so that you dont inconvenience other road users.

2. Lets say you want to take a right turn (or a right U turn), start moving to the right side (from left) much before you reach the turn. That is, may be about 500 meters before the actual turn. This is because you are slow and cannot (like ICE) just zoom across.

3. Usually, low speed e-bikes/scooter run on lead acid batteries. So the more loaded the vehicle is the more faster the batteries drains.

NOTE: I think now a days you do have an option to choose Li-ion battries for low speed bikes, so if you budget allows, please go for it.

4. And since mine is a lead-acid battery e-scooter tends to loose speed when climbing a inclinie (flyover/ramp etc.) Situaiton becomes even more difficult if load is more. I have had instances where I had to get down if the incline is too steep.

NOTE: One way to get out of such situation is, to keep the bikes momentum before you hit the incline. Never stop and start if the load you are carrying is high (like me when my whole family travels on it) but otherwise it does its job.

5. Lastly, the lead-acid battery used my e-scooter seems to be of bad quality. I say this because, i had replaced the original set of batteries as it had buldged as I didnt use/charge the bike for few months. I replaced the batteries about 4 years ago (may be less) but already it has started to discharge faster (read as not holding charge). Again this issue may be just with a particular manufacturer but cannot vouch or say anything for sure. On the positive side Lead-acid batteries are cheaper to buy instead of Li-ion. I got my set of 4 12v 24ah for 10k, when I went directly to the manufacture. Showroom quoted me ~14k.

So yeah, If you can manage all this you can for sure go for "Low Speed, no RC, No License, No Helmet (but I always wear as I value my head more )" bike which will cost you lesser.

[condor]

Originally Posted by girishglg

The low power option was one of the major reasons of interest especially for my better half to begin her two wheeler journey but quite didn't get the safety reasons you mentioned.

Like @shancz mentioned, ability to accelerate is an active safety feature.
o
Regarding the point about low power option being suitable for a beginner:
1. Wife can start with slow drives around the block.
2. Once she gains confidence, she will drive normally, like everyone else. Isnt that what we all did ?
3. I dont think the resale value of a low power scooter will be good. You would lose a lot on depreciation. And I suspect your wife will soon outgrow such a scooter.