News

Pure EPluto 7G electric scooter ownership review

9th August 2021, 18:33 by Chirag Moro

View Forum Discussion

There is a lot of scope for improvement from Pure, but this is a decent first generation of products from them considering that they got the two main things - motor and battery sorted.

BHPian Venky03 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

With petrol prices soaring sky high, the switch to EV was imminent.

Pros

120 km range
Maneuverability
Inhouse battery
Removable battery
Charger fits in boot

Cons

No boot space
Seat could've been longer
Suspension
Quality of switches
Headlight
No smart features/navigation

The Search

Was using a TVS Jupiter since 2014. It served me well without throwing any major issues. Wanted to switch last year but had to postpone due to covid, this meant I had a lot of time to research about existing brands.

Ampere: Was looking at the Zeal EX but the charging time was 5-6hrs for a range of ~90km; also many users complained about the service and non-availability of spare parts.

Ather: Way over budget.

TVS, Bajaj: Not yet launched in Mumbai.

Hero, Okinawa: Poor after sales, customers kept waiting for 3-6 months due to non-availability of spare parts.

Pure: Overall very positive ownership reviews, spares available, battery R&D inhouse and affordable rates.

The Conclusion

Battery is the soul of any EV, and Pure has been very transparent and vocal about their batteries. Electric scooters make perfect sense for city commutes as the range is sufficient and the price difference between electric vehicles and petrol scooters is almost negligible. Was initially confused between ETrance Neo and EPluto 7G but went with EPluto 7G for retro look.

Some theoretical calculations (Worst case for EV) [8000kms per year]:

Booked the EPluto 7G on 20th March 2021 at RC Automobiles, Borivali.

Delivery

Took the delivery on 15th June 2021. There was a huge delay due to 2nd covid wave. There was some issue with DC converter because of moisture, they replaced it free of cost on the spot. Not very confidence inspiring, but the owner was very transparent regarding what caused the issue and what is being replaced. They used the blower to remove all the moisture from switches and sprayed on WD-40.

Exterior

Most of the people will think that this is a Vespa, the same body is being used by many other EV brands and is even available in generic markets. I opted for "Matte Black" option as it looked very classy and is easier to maintain. They've added in chrome elements here and there, with subtle Pure badging. The seat is softer than what you get with standard ICE scooters, also it is not adequate for riding with a pillion. I personally don't like the flashy front alloys, will get them painted to black sometime later. The front wheels have disc brakes with decent bite while the rear wheels come with drum brakes which is suitable for braking slowly, the company also claims that it has eABS but I've not tested it yet. The guards provided by the dealer are of decent quality, they fit snugly and don't make any funny noises while moving.

They've added in a small compartment in the front for keeping your smartphones/wallet or other small things, I use it for keeping the microfiber cloth; there are no rubber gaskets used anywhere. It would've been great if they included a 12v/5v port inside the front compartment for charging smartphones:

Boot

The boot is occupied by the battery and there's a very small amount of usable space on offer, here's how it looks without the charger:

With charger:

Ride Quality

This has been very fun to ride, the pickup is instantaneous and you don't have to worry about the noise causing any disturbance. There is a small whine from the motor which is pleasant to hear. The suspension is on a softer side when compared with my Jupiter but you will feel the irregularities on the road due to smaller wheel size. The rear rubber bushes started making squeaking noises after ~100kms but oiling them fixed the issue:

Electronics and Battery

The electronics are fairly simple as there are no smart features, but the only issue I faced was with the indicator switch. During heavy rains, it simply refused to work as intended and just made beeping sound. Spraying on some electrical maintenance spray fixed it but the beeping issue is still present. I hope they replace the switches with some good quality replacements in future. The headlight LED is powerful but the reflector setup doesn't do proper justice, feels inadequate during night rides. Horn is fairly loud and enough for city commute. They have included an anti-theft lock which will lock the rear wheel in place and make noise if it senses any movement without unlocking. There are 3 modes for the powertrain - eco, city and sport; 120kms range on eco with top speed of 35kmph, 110kms range on city mode with top speed of 45kmph, and 90kms range on sport mode with top speed of 60kmph. I got an average range of ~90kms with 25% charge left in city mode so the range is excellent.

I never drained the battery below 25% so can't report the 0-100% charge time, but it takes approximately 3hrs to full charge from ~25%. The battery is a 60V 2.5KWh pack which will consume nearly 3 units for full charge. Regen works well but the battery level system needs a massive overhaul, 75% of your range is displayed with first 3 bars and rest 25% is displayed with last 3 bars.

Charging setup:

Summing up my initial experience with Pure, the attitude of my local dealer was very friendly and confidence inspiring which is very essential for a new brand. There is a lot of scope for improvement from Pure, but this is a decent first generation of products from them considering that they got the two main things - motor and battery sorted. The one thing they need to work on urgently is the battery level indicator which has been very inaccurate and is a very essential parameter to consider while planning trips.

Nothing major in the first free service, they ask for any issues that you faced during 1 month of usage and fix it. Oiling on moving components and tightening of loose bolts is also a part of their routine servicing. They're planning for doorstep servicing with additional fees in coming time as informed by the dealer.