The Zulu e-scooter is powered by a 2.27 kWh battery that has a range of 104 km on a single charge.

Kinetic Green has launched its fourth electric offering, the Zulu, in the Indian market. The new e-scooter is priced at Rs 94,990 (ex-showroom, Mumbai).

The Kinetic Zulu uses a hub motor rated at 2.1 kW. It can accelerate the e-scooter to a top speed of 60 km/h.

Powering the e-scooter is a 2.27 kWh battery pack offering an IDC range of 104 km. The company claims that the oil-cooled battery can be charged up to 80% in just 30 minutes using a 15A socket.

The Zulu is equipped with a telescopic front fork and twin shock absorbers at the rear. It rides on 10-inch wheels and gets disc brakes at both ends.

In terms of features, the Kinetic Zulu gets a basic LCD instrument console, LED daytime running lights and a storage cubby on the front apron.

The Kinetic Zulu can also be purchased online on Flipkart and Amazon. It is also available with a battery subscription, in which case, customers can pay Rs 69,000 for the e-scooter and then pay Rs 800 per month for the battery.

The reports of scaling back Ola’s sales and revenue targets come ahead of its $700 million IPO plans.

Ola Electric has slashed its sales targets for 2023-2025 by more than 50%. The company has also delayed its target of achieving profits by a year.

According to a media report, Ola’s latest financial projections show that the company expects to sell 3,00,000 e-scooters in the current fiscal year, which is two-thirds lower than its earlier goal of 8,82,000 units.

The document is said to have revealed that Ola has reduced its revenue target for the ongoing fiscal by 60% from $1.55 billion to just $591 million. Reports suggest that the targets have been lowered because of lower government subsidies.

Ola Electric, in a statement, refrained from acknowledging the document. The company stated that the future financial targets were yet to be verified and that this information was confidential.

The reports of scaling back Ola’s sales and revenue targets come ahead of its $700 million IPO plans.

Source: Reuters

VinFast plans to import its EVs via the CBU route and will begin local manufacturing at a later stage.

Vietnam-based electric vehicle brand, VinFast, is gearing up to enter the Indian market next year. In addition to launching electric SUVs, VinFast is also looking to enter the electric bus and scooter segments.

Ashwin Patil, Vice President & Director of Sales for VinFast in India, stated that the company plans to enter the Indian market shortly. Apart from SUVs, electric scooters and buses will also be part of its India portfolio.

Patil added that the company had the capability and technology to produce electric buses and e-scooters. However, he didn’t provide a specific timeframe for their launch.

VinFast began its operations in Vietnam with the launch of three ICE-powered models. By 2021, the carmaker had transitioned into making EVs. It currently has seven electric SUVs, electric scooters and an e-bus in its product portfolio.

Patil also revealed that VinFast is currently in the process of vehicle testing and is in the advanced stage of finalizing the location of its plant. Initially, the carmaker plans to import its EVs via the CBU route and will begin local manufacturing at a later stage.

Source: ET Auto

The Chetak Urbane is powered by a 2.9 kWh battery pack that offers a slightly higher range of 113 km (IDC)

Bajaj Auto has launched the Chetak Urbane, a new variant of the e-scooter priced at Rs 1.15 lakh (ex-showroom).

The Chetak Urbane is powered by a 2.9 kWh battery pack that offers a slightly higher range of 113 km (IDC) compared to the 108 km range offered by the current model. However, 113 km range is IDC certified, while the 108 km is the real-world range claimed by the company.

Another difference between the Urbane and Premium variants is the on-board charger. While the latter comes with an 800-watt charger, the Urbane gets a 650-watt charger, which takes 4 hours 50 minutes to charge the battery.

The Chetak Urbane comes with an LCD instrument console as standard. It has an Eco mode and a 63 km/h top speed. However, customers can opt for the 'Tecpac', priced at Rs 1.21 lakh (ex-showroom). It comes with a Sports mode, smartphone connectivity, a reverse mode, a hill hold and an increased top speed of 73 km/h. 

The e-scooter will be capable of reaching 73 km/h, up from 63 km/h.

Bajaj Auto is updating its Chetak e-scooter range with new features and battery packs. We recently reported about the entry-level Urbane variant, and as per the latest information, the Premium variant will also receive significant updates.

The Chetak Premium will get a new 3.2 kWh battery pack with a claimed IDC range of 127 km. It will replace the 2.88 kWh unit that offered merely 108 km of range. The new battery can be charged from 0-100% in 4 hours 30 minutes.

Reports suggest that the updated Chetak will also have a higher top speed. The e-scooter will be capable of reaching 73 km/h, up from 63 km/h.

The Chetak Premium will also come with a TFT dash offering features such as Bluetooth connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, tyre pressure monitoring system and remote lock/unlock; among others. Moreover, the underseat storage capacity is said to have gone up from 18 litres to 21 litres in the upcoming version.

The Urbane variant could get a 2.48 kWh battery pack instead of the 2.88 kWh unit that powers the Premium variant.

Bajaj Auto is working on a new entry-level variant of the Chetak electric scooter. The new Urbane variant is likely to get a smaller battery pack.

According to a government document, the Urbane variant will be offered with a 2.48 kWh battery pack instead of the 2.88 kWh unit that powers the Premium variant. The smaller battery is said to deliver a range of 113 km on a single charge.

The Urbane variant measures 1,894 mm in length, 725 mm in width, 1,132 mm in height, and its wheelbase is 1,330 mm. While the dimensions are identical to the Premium variant, it weighs 3 kg less.

The entry-level variant of the Chetak is already being tested on public roads. Spy images suggest that it is likely to get a more cost-effective hub-mounted motor instead of a mid-mounted set-up with a set-down gearbox integrated into the swingarm.

Source: Autocar India

My service center experience has been excellent as well. My mechanic never fails to give a prompt response to me.

BHPian Buzzaper recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Some Updates/Insights on my ownership experience:

I have been procrastinating this update for a good few months, and I'd like to share my experience so far. Let me start from the oldest to newest update:

Updates on things from OLA's side:

A chocolate box and 6 months later, got a mail that my center stand and buddy step had arrived at Guindy EC in early July. I bought those along with the scooter in January. I was out of town that week so called my mechanic from Guindy EC after returning. They said both were "out of stock". I was confused. I got a mail saying my allocated accessories had arrived. How can they go out of stock when they were supposed to be mine? The answer was "first come first serve fitting sir". This defeats the purpose of allocation. Complained to OLA customer care, was useless. I then followed up with my EC every week asking if stocks had arrived. Finally after 3 more weeks of waiting, I got my center stand and buddy step mounted.

The original foot peg will be removed and the buddy step will be attached over there using not so good bolts which will start to have surface rust soon.

Before Installing the center stand, I inspected it to see how dependable it is:

It felt heavy and sturdy and had a convincing powder coat finish over it.

While my accessories were being mounted, I had a good look at almost everything in the dealer:

• This was the day when S1 Air was about to launch. There were marketing materials about S1 air and it had instructions on what to point out to customers to make them feel the advantages of EVs.
• There were 2 wooden crates which contained brand new S1 Pro batteries. Looks like many are facing battery failures. Came across a couple in WhatsApp groups as well.
• The front yard of the dealer (along with the sidewalk) was parked with several S1s. I had mentioned in a previous post that they were all there for front fork replacement. The service bay racks were filled with new front fork boxes from top to bottom. Good to see OLA taking this matter seriously.
• Met an owner who was taking his scooter after brakepad service. To my shock, he said that this was his 3rd set of brakepads within 10K kms! I asked him about his regen usage, and he replied "What's that? The throttle twsiting forward? Is it good to use it?" This shows that many are not aware of all operational procedures required for EVs.

Accessories were fixed, I return home and parked the scooter on its center stand. Next morning when I lower the scooter from its stand, I hear a pop. The side lower black panel had popped off which was being held by plastic clips. Tried pushing them back in but every time I lower the scooter from its center stand, it would hit the panel and pop it off. Went back to the EC and the mechanic replaced the clip with a similar looking one. It seemed to be held in place. But I faced the issue yet again. The next time I visited, the clip was replaced with a much robust feeling and sturdy clip which solved the problem.

How is the center stand working for me?

It works as it should work. No issues. It has not scraped on a speed bump so far. I go over them with some caution. Even with a pillion, it has not scraped.

Charger Refund status: The app showed that my refund will be done before September 30th. Somewhere in the 1st week of September I received the full amount.

Fast forward to present, I have completed 2600kms. No issues till date. My service center experience has been excellent as well. My mechanic never fails to give a prompt response to me when ever I call him or visit the EC. Facing a trivial brake noise issue at the moment but unable to find time to fix it. It has not affected the braking performance. Managed to click some milestone numbers on the way.

S1Pro Gen-2 Impressions:

Visited Anna Nagar EC just to testdrive Gen2 on MoveOS4 demo day. Here are my impressions on it:

• Initial pickup is improved drastically. I did not expect such a difference comapred to Gen1. Looks like they reworked the final drive along with the new powerful 15HP motor
• Normal mode almost feels like sport mode. Hyper mode is surreal even after experiencing it on my scooter for months. The front wheel almost floats on sudden accelaration. This is definitely not for someone who's going to ride a scooter for the first time. This level of performance is too much for grocery runs.
• The flat footboard is a welcome change. Sad that Gen1 users have to live with the hump.
• The space between handle bar and seat has been reduced. You now sit much closer to the handle bar and its noticeable.
• The dual shock front suspension feels very composed, and transmits almost no vibration to the handle bar.
• The horn is a let down. It sounds way weaker than Gen1. "Silent" cost cutting I guess.
• The most noticeable downgrade, will be staring right in front of you. The instrument display's resolution and quality have been downgraded drastically. It looks like the display that my decade old micromax phone had. Another cost cutting I guess.
• The slight reduction in weight was noticeable the very moment I lifted the scooter from it's side stand.

Regarding MoveOS4, the scooter I drove did not have it. Responses from users have been positive on all platforms so far. I did not want to try out the Beta as I'm skeptical about OLA's reliability in things they do. It's now time to wash my machines.

Ending this post with Ayudha Puja wishings!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Customers have also complained about the availability of spare parts at showrooms.

Earlier this week, Ola customers staged a protest in front of Ola showrooms in Hubbali, Karnataka, over the e-scooter’s reliability issues. 

According to media reports, around 50 customers were facing technical issues with their recently purchased Ola e-scooters. Customers said that the scooters would turn off completely while riding. 

It is said that despite several visits to the service station, the issue remained unresolved. A customer who took delivery of his e-scooter this Diwali said that he had faced this issue four times already. As the service station failed to fix the problem, the showroom assured him that a refund would be processed in a week. It’s been three weeks, and he has yet to receive a refund.

Customers have also complained about the availability of spare parts at showrooms.

Source: Deccan Herald

The Simple Dot One could miss out on the removable battery and is likely to get a less powerful motor.

Bangalore-based EV startup, Simple Energy, is set to launch a new electric scooter on December 15. The new model is called the Dot One and is said to be the company’s first sub-Rs 1 lakh e-scooter.

The Simple Dot One will be based on the Simple One. It is said that the cheaper version will not have a removable battery pack, but will be offered with the same touchscreen instrument console with Bluetooth connectivity as the One.

While the company hasn’t shared any technical details of the Dot One, it could use a slightly less powerful motor. Currently, the One is powered by an 8.5 kW motor and a 3.7 kWh battery. The company also mentions that the Dot One will offer “over 30 litres” of storage.

If the Simple Dot One is priced under Rs 1 lakh, it would compete with the Ola S1X.

The green light on the charger illuminates, but nothing appears on the display.

BHPian AngelEyes recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

We acquired our first EV, the Ather 450x, two days ago. Including accessories, it cost me 1.78 Lakhs in Bengaluru. Currently, I'm encountering the following issues:

It won’t charge. The green light on the charger illuminates, but nothing appears on the display. I have tried various power outlets and different methods, but it appears that there is some issue.

There's a "factory mode" banner displayed on the screen.

I've attempted to reset the device multiple times, but with no success. What's even more surprising is the below-average response from Ather Rajajinagar. After escalating the issue to Ather through various social media platforms, someone from service assured me that a technician would visit my home to investigate within 24 hours.

Unfortunately, we are unable to use the scooter at the moment because it won't charge.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information