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Simple One is an upcoming electric scooter, all set to launch in select cities in India next month. - One of its highlights is the claim of a range of 240 kilometres, beating its direct rival, Ather 450X, which has a certified range of 116 kilometres.
- The Simple One is expected to be priced under ₹1,20,000, undercutting its direct rival from Ather Energy.
When launched, the Simple One’s unique selling point will be its range – the Bengaluru-based startup promises that its first electric scooter will have a range of up to 240 kilometres in Eco mode, which is more efficient than Sports mode as Eco mode prioritises the range over speed.
For instance, the Honda Activa 6G has a fuel tank capacity of 5.3 litres. At an ARAI rated average of 60 km/litre, it offers a range of approximately 318 kilometres. The real-world mileage should be closer to 50 km/l, though.
Simple One’s direct electric scooter rival would be the Ather 450X, which has a rated range of 116 kilometres. However, the 450X has a smaller 2.9 kWh battery, which has an impact on its range.
The Simple One will be the company’s flagship electric scooter. It was initially codenamed the Mark 2, drawing inspiration from the Iron Man movie series.
Here’s everything we know about it so far:
The Simple One electric scooter’s price is expected to be in the range of ₹1,10,000 to ₹1,20,000. It will be launched on August 15, in select cities in south India during the initial phases. This includes Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. Other cities will be added later, the company has confirmed.
In an interview with Business Insider, Simple Energy’s founder Suhas Rajkumar confirmed that Mumbai and Delhi are on the radar, too.
The Simple One might feature a slim frame, but the company says that the electric scooter will offer a top speed of up to 100 km/h. Not just that, it is claimed to go from 0-50 km/h in 3.6 seconds.
Powering the Simple One will be a 4.8 kWh (kilowatt-hour) battery that can be removed and charged inside your home, in case you don’t have the place to set up the charger in your parking lot.
Rajkumar also confirmed that the Simple One will support fast charging. This can charge up the battery completely in 70 minutes, he added, stating that the company's public chargers will support fast charging.
Although the Indian electric scooter market is still in its infancy, there are established players in the market like Hero MotoCorp-backed Ather Energy.
However, Rajkumar believes Simple Energy has not missed the bus yet, and that apart from the legacy players, there’s only one competing startup.
Further, Rajkumar said he believes India is too big a market to be dominated only by a handful of companies. “I think there’s a lot of room for new players to come. India is such a large market, it can accommodate 10 to 20 Simple Energys [sic] easily,” he added.
There’s another silver lining to being a little late, says Rajkumar. “There's awareness about the EV [electric vehicle] market already and to have a second-mover advantage gets us the best of supply chain management, price, cutting, and all other aspects that we can learn from the mistakes of other operators,”.
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