Power Electric Scooter Buyers Guide | Mid 2021

By Team PluginIndia
We often get so many queries, from all of you about buying a high speed electric scooter. Especially those who want no compromises. Many of want to get an electric scooter that has operations all over India, companies that invest in RnD, companies that offer performance scooters. You have many questions like - which scooter offers the longest range, which scooter offers good quality batteries and so on. In this blog/video we will talk about the performance electric scooters you can buy now in mid 2021.

Video : Mid 2021 ​Performance Electric Scooters Buyers Guide

---

Notes

• ​We will talk about the performance electric scooters you can post NOW! We have considered only those OEM’s whose scooters offer a top speed of 55 kmph and above. Also manufacturers have to have operations and sell in at least 10 cities. So Bajaj Chetak & TVS iQube won’t feature in this list. Do read till the end to know the other reasons too!
• ​We will also talk about localization as many of you want to get models which are Made In India as much as possible. So we have collected localization data from multiple OEM’s so you can make an informed choice. 
• We will showcase data sheets of each vehicle and PluginIndia hosts - Raphae and Atulji will give their top 3 personal picks among the list.
• At the end we will show a few graphs, leaderboards, and tables and other cool stuff! So, without wasting any more time, let's beg  in in alphabetical order!

---

Ampere Vehicles - Zeal, Magnus Pro

Ampere is an old player. They are making electric scooters for more than 13 years now. There are two high speed models - Ampere Zeal & Ampere Magnus Pro. Both have top speed 50 kmph model with range of 70 km. Both models offer a Removable Lithium battery. The Ex-Showroom Price is ₹ 73,990 & FAME 2 subsidy included within the price. We don’t have much information about the battery. We mailed the company but no one responded to our questions. The local dealers have no idea. This for us is a big problem. We expect a company like Ampere to be communicative and dealers to have information or be able to get information on something as was important as batteries. The website says the battery will offer 650 cycles. So we expect it to be NMC chemistry and some 20% degradation in range after 3 years. 
Regarding warranty, Ampere offers 3 years for battery+motor+controller+converter+charger. Extended warranty can be purchased to make it a 5 year warranty. We know one Magnus Pro Owner in Bengaluru who spent Rs 2,500/- on it. If you want to know more information about the Ampere Magnus Pro, do watch our Real Life EV Story video, where we speak to a real owner. 
Regarding localization, we again did not get any information on localization from the company.

---

Ather Energy - Ather 450X, Ather 450 Plus

Ather is a 7+ year old startup. They sell electric scooters in 16 cities. and manufacture in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. They offer two options - Ather 450X and Ather 450 Plus. These are scooters with a huge emphasis on performance. The annual subscription for connectivity and updates is optional. Different packages related to servicing and connectivity available from Rs 1500 to Rs 3600 per annum.
Ather 450X and 450 Plus are only models in this entire list that offer drivetrain related OTA Software updates. 
The Ather 450X and 450 Plus are true connected scooters - with remote monitoring, over the air we software updates etc. No scooter in the list even comes close in terms of connected scooter features!
Ather is one among 2 companies in this list that is offering electric scooters with mid drive motors with belt based transmission. Ather is the only scooter which has a touchscreen display with google maps integration.

Ather said they use a High Nickel NMC battery where the percentage of Nickel is way higher than Cobalt or Manganese. This improves the energy density of the cells. The battery is made by Ather themselves. The most awesome part is the amount of BMS features provided. Basically they have used software and hardware engineering to protect the battery pack. Regarding localization - 90% components are localized, which is incredible. We tested it and we love it. If you have the money and love technology, the Ather is the best option now. 
But does it offer value for money for ordinary users who ride 20-30 km each day? Atulji's answers that question in the video :)

---

Benling India - Aura

So the parent company is a large Chinese electric scooter company called - Dongguan Benling Vehicle Technology Co. Ltd. They are global exporters of electric scooters to all parts of the world. India operations were started in 2018 and The company is called Benling India and they have a plant at Manesar, Haryana. The company people told us they have a presence in 130 cities/towns all over India. Benling India offers one high speed model - Aura. The design is a classic Vespa knockoff that seems to come from the parent Chinese company. Battery is 72V, 40Ah - which should give 90 km real world range, the company claims 100 km in fast mode and 150 km in eco mode.

Battery is made in India by Trontek and they did not tell us any more details about the BMS or chemistry. No localization details were provided. The scooter is not connected. I feel that the product looks good but the company still relies a lot on their parent Chinese company and hopefully that will change soon.

---

BGauss - B8

BGauss is part of the Mumbai based 800M$ RR Kabel group. We visited their factory in Pune. Investments have been made in a large factory and also in people. The team has come in largely from automotive backgrounds, and that shows in both the product and the factory. The company has operations in more than 12 cities mostly in West and South India. They have 1 model high speed model called BGauss B8. When we tested the model, we could only get it to 50 kmph. But we thought we would include this model in the guide anyway. The high point of the vehicle is the Bosch motor. Rated at 1.2 kW, with a peak of 1.9 kW. The torque delivery is smooth and powerful at low speeds. A very zippy ride. Battery energy capacity is 1.70 kWh and with a top speed of 60 kmph, we feel this scooter will only give a range of 50-60 km in real world conditions.

Battery finish quality is fantastic and they also gave decent boot space. Battery is Made in India by a Ahmednagar based company. The website claims decent BMS features - over charging protection, cell monitoring, temperature control, cell equalization. NMC chemistry is used. The people at BGauss said that around 50% of components including batteries  are localized. ​After talking to people in the company, we can say that the company will work on more localization and also launch newer models in 2021/22.

---

Earth Energy - Glyde+

A Mumbai based startup with a young team. The PluginIndia team visited them in 2019 and we were very impressed by the startup who were working on battery packs, BMS, electronic components, etc. 
The company has been doing RnD for 4 and half years and have revealed two motorcycles and one electric scooter recently. They have a facility near Gujarat border to manufacture vehicles and components. The RnD team will be based out of Mumbai.
They have 1 high speed model called Glyde. The interesting part about this scooter is, it is belt driven with a mid drive motor that goes upto 85 kmph. So this seems to be a performance scooter.
Battery is made in India and with mixed modes, the company says you should easily get 100 km per charge. We know the founder and we hope to get the scooter in June, so we can showcase this promising scooter to you guys.

Battery is not removable, but we are very impressed by the BMS used here. The company said they have lots of BMS features like - cell balancing, power monitoring system that offers cell level control and most impressive guys - They offer State of Charge and Kilometer estimation algorithms in the BMS. The values will be displayed in the TFT screen. Regarding localization they told us that 98% is Localised on the Bill of Materials Level. Controller, Motor and electronics made in India. Also the scooter is connected with telematics, apps and OTA software updates. They also offer turn by turn navigation in the TFT display. Earth Energy is one among 2 companies in this list that is offering   electric scooters with mid drive motors with belt based transmission. So this company seems extremely tech focussed and the scooter seems very promising. We can’t wait to test this and share our findings with you guys!

---

Gemopai - Astrid Lite

So the parent company is a large Chinese Electric scooter company called - Wuxi Shengbao Electric Bicycle Manufacture Co. Ltd. They are global exporters of OPAI brand of electric scooters to all parts of the world. Gemopai is getting technology from OPAI for operations in India. The company is called Gemopai and is an Indian brand and they have a manufacturing plant based out of Greater Noida, UP.
75+ dealerships Pan India and Nepal. They have 1 high speed model called Astrid Lite.  It offers 2.4 kW Peak Power in motor and 72V system which goes upto 60-65 kmph top speed.

The batteries used in the Astrid scooter are iPower and Akira brands. Both Akira and iPower brands are batteries made in Haryana. The lithium-Ion battery chemistry used is NMC chemistry. We asked them about localization and the company told us this - "Battery, Charger, Tyre, Chassis, DC Converter, and other mechanical parts: 60% parts localization". Good to see Gemopai too trying to localize as much as they can. But I feel that the company still relies a lot on their parent Chinese company and hopefully that will change soon. Gemopai also said they will be launching 2 high speed vehicles this year in the premium segment, we look forward to the new launches.

---

Hero Electric - Photon

So we come to the giant of Indian electric scooter scene although their focus is low speed scooters, they have the so-called high speed models like Optima, NYX that only go 45 kmph. But there is a popular Hero Photon model that can exceed 52 kmph and we have decided to include this one in the buyers guide. Hero Electric has dealers all over India. So availability is not an issue. Battery is 60V 24Ah and we feel this scooter will deliver a range of 60 km real world with mixed mode driving. 
We spoke to our HE dealer contact eGalaxy Motors in Pune and they said that a single Trontek LFP battery is used. The battery is made in India by Trontek and has performed well with customers. 
The dealer told us that Parts like Battery Pack, Charger, DC-DC converter, chassis, Wire harness are made locally. Rest is imported. Good to see some localization but it looks like Hero Electric despite being a 10+ year old company are still not making fast progress towards localization nor are we seeing any innovation in product development. That is disappointing.

---

Jitendra New EV Tech - JMT 100HS

The Parent company of the Jitendra brand is Shah Group. They are a large group in multiple business verticals in Real Estate, automotive, retailing, software and manufacturing. They have a large automotive experience with dealerships of Mahindra Trucks, Commercial vehicles and more. They also have Tata Motors Passenger Car dealership. They have a 18,000 sqmt industrial plot in Industrial Area of Nasik to put up integrated manufacturing facilities. Availability is in 70 cities/towns and have operations for 3 and half years. 
They have 1 model high speed model called Jitendra JMT100 HS. Battery is a 60V * 33Ah Ah - 2.04 kWh. Company claims an 80 km range. We estimate a range of 75-80 km.
We hope to get this scooter for tests, we have written to the company. Once we get them we can showcase it to you guys.

The batteries used in the JMT100 HS scooter are from Trontek brand. No BMS data were given. We asked them about localization and the company told us this - "More than 80% we are localized. Major and minor components are made locally". Regarding connectivity, they can also provide a GPS tracker as an accessory. This is not a real connected scooter is it? Many scooter companies provide a cheap GPS tracker and call themselves a connected scooter. One curious thing about this scooter is that this scooter looks similar to the Hero Electric NYX model. Maybe both are getting it from the same Chinese manufacturer. The company also said they will be launching new models this year.

---

Okinawa Scooters - iPraise+, Praise Pro, Ridge+

So we have another large player of Indian electric scooter scene. Okinawa Scooters. Within a span of 5+ years they have dealers pan India which is a significant achievement for an electric scooter company. 
Okinawa's portfolio has the following 3 high speed models

• Okinawa’s flagship model - iPraise+ which has a large removable Lithium battery (72V, 45 Ah - 3.3 kWh), which our dealer contact are getting real world mixed mode range of 130+ km.
• Okinawa’s mid range model - Praise Pro which has a removable Lithium battery (72V, 27 Ah - 2 kWh), which our dealer contact says getting a real world mixed mode range of 75 km.
• Okinawa’s low range high speed model - Ridge+ which has a removable Lithium battery (60V, 29 Ah - 1.74 kWh), which our dealer contact are getting a real world mixed mode range of 70 km. ​

The battery used is a Trontek Battery, Made in India is a battery company that is supplying to many scooter companies. The dealer told us that most parts are made in India. For example - Plastics and chargers are made in Mumbai itself. Regarding connectivity - there is basic GPS tracking and basic mobile app offered in iPraise+ and Ridge+ but not in Praise Pro. Okinawa scooters had issues with their iPraise+ scooter during launch. But they quickly sorted them and now customers we know are happy with their models. So at least the company is quickly resolving issues.

---

PURE EV - ePluto 7G, eTrance NEO

Many of you know about PURE EV, we recently visited the startups' factory and showcased the work being done. You guys can check the video. The most impressive aspect of the company PureEV is the manic focus on battery engineering at their RnD center at IIT Hyderabad. They are making batteries in their Hyderabad factory and also adding software features to the BMS. Making PureEV a very unique company among electric scooter manufacturers. They have dealers in 103 cities and are expanding fast. 
There are 2 high speed models

• ePluto 7G
• eTrance NEO

The ePluto 7G and the eTrance NEO comes with a removable 2.5 kWh NMC battery which gives you a real world range of 100+ km. Regarding warranty - They have 3 years/40,000 km for battery and vehicle. We also like the focus on battery checkups and servicing - PURE EV has a Battrics Faraday system - which is an AI-driven hardware system which carries out the diagnosis and resolution of defects in the PURE battery through an externally-connected device to the battery. It shows the live SOH transformation of individual cells and the overall battery health. According to me the PURE EV models offer a fantastic value for money due to battery engineering, high range and affordable pricing.

There is no FAME 2 subsidy on both the 7G and the NEO. PURE as a company told us that they have prioritized reducing cost with innovation and scale rather than depending on subsidy. We feel that is a strategy that will pay off in the long run for PURE EV. Also we love the continuous development work and improvements made in the PURE EV battery and BMS that is happening at their IIT-H RnD lab.
Regarding localization, PURE EV told us that Chassis, Wiring Harness, Tyres, Battery Packaging materials, seats, mirrors, brakes, lights are localized. They are also making battery packaging materials here. In coming months they also are going to procure the motor and controller from 2 vendors based out of Tamil Nadu. Many people tell us that the build quality of the scooters can improve. We agree, compared to say the Chetak, PURE EV scooters can improve their build quality. But we would say the build quality is acceptable and the ride quality is superior compared to an ICE scooter which is more important to me. One thing to note is that the algorithms and code and the design is done by the PURE EV RnD team in IIT Hyderabad. Not many companies including large players like Hero and Ampere are investing in RnD as much as PURE EV and that is commendable.

---

Rowwet Mobility - Vegatron, Elec, Rame 

So we have another well funded startup - Pune based ROWWET Mobility. They company is founded by businessmen who have experience in real estate, automobile and manufacturing. They have come together to start ROWWET Mobility. They have a large manufacturing facility in Chakkan, Pune and have operations in 14 cities. We met the people behind the company and in a short span of time, they are offering multiple high speed models. ROWWET’s portfolio has the following 3 high speed models.

• Vegatron which has a non removable Lithium battery (72 * 35AH - 2.5 kWh), they claim a mixed mode range of 75 km. The design is very modern with aggressive contours. 
• Eleq which has a removable Lithium battery (72 * 35AH - 2.5 kWh), they claim a mixed mode range of 75 km. This scooter has a classic LML scooter design.
• RAME which has a removable Lithium battery (72 * 35AH - 2.5 kWh), they claim a mixed mode range of 70 km. This scooter has a classic Vespa design 

The battery is Made in India by. That is good, although they did not share any BMS information. The company told us that they are working with partners on getting a new battery option for all the scooters. These battery packs can charge in 12 mins. We do not know how it works, they told us they will show a demo to us. So let us see then. The company also will be offering a lead acid battery with fast charge capability of 30 min. Apparently in a few months the company will offer 3 battery options. Regarding localization the company has said 43% parts are localized. Looks like they still are dependent on abroad. Regarding connectivity - there are no connectivity features. They also have an electric motorcycle. All in all an interesting company offering interesting products. It is a company to watch out!

---

SBTek eMoto - Citron 

So SBTek is a 2 year old Pune based electric scooter startup who have been selling one model called the Citron - which seems to have a cult following in the Pune Pet areas with lots of owners happy with the product and many people who even tell us it is better than Ather or Chetak!  So to have a cult fan following like this is impressive for this startup :)
The company seems to be well funded. They have attracted VC funding too. The good news is that the company has a large R&D and is investing in Software development, localization etc. They don’t have Dealerships. They have appointed partners/service associates who provide delivery and service. They have operations in 10+ cities and plan to expand in more cities. They have 1 model high speed model called Citron.
The electric scooter Citron we saw in the Pune showroom, resembled a model called Tailg Reddot - from a Shanghai based company. They claim a mixed mode real world range of 110 km. We hope to get the scooter and do some tests, we can confirm the range. They also have an option for an add on battery. We did a brief ride and for a 1 kW peak power rated motor. The acceleration was very good.

We asked them about localization and the company told us this - "Battery, Charger, Tyre, Fibre body they have tie up. But electronic parts like controllers, 4.5 inch TFT high brightness are imported
 63% parts localization. Also software is all developed by local RnD team". The company told us that the battery pack is completely designed by SBTEK RnD team and engineers. Cells are imported. Even enclosures, box designs are made in house. They also said that the smart BMS that can be connected to mobile app and cell data can be monitored for diagnosing issues. 
Good job, team SBTek - you are making a battery pack in house which will give you control over pricing and servicing. Also we like the fact that you are offering some BMS monitoring features. 
Good to see a startup trying to localize as much as they can. But we can say that the company still relies a lot from their partner Chinese company and hopefully that will change soon. We need to see startups design products from scratch - like Ather etc. Hopefully startups with products like Citron will get there.

---

Some Notes

• So with that we have come to the end of the list. There are around 20 power electric scooters in the market and more to come, what are you waiting for. It’s time to switch and ditch the oil habit!
  
• Many of you must be wondering that some prominent brands are missing from this list! And you are right. Here are some brands that offer power electric scooters but we did not include them.
  
  • TVS iQube
    
    • Essentially TVS has launched the iQUBE in only 2 cities - Bengaluru and Delhi which disqualified it in our list.
      
    • TVS has no interest in launching EV models because it will eat into their high margin ‘mafia’ business of their ICE scooters. 
      
    • Essentially the iQube is a compliance scooter, launched only in 2 cities where the government of those 2 cities might legislate laws for manufacturers to sell EV's due to rising pollution.
      
  • ​​Bajaj Chetak
    
    • The Chetak is being sold only in Pune and Bengaluru. 
      
    • Bajaj does not have conflict of interests as they dont have a pollution scooter business, but they have production hell problems.
      
    • Let them sort out their Chetak production issues and we will add them in our next episode.
      
  • Few other companies like Evolet and DAO EV Tech also have high speed scooters, but they did not respond to our queries - so they are out.
    
  • Promising startups like OLA Electric, Simple Energy will be featured next time if they have launched and have operations in 10+ cities.
    

---

Some Graphs & Numbers

---

Raphae and Atul's Top 3 

Raphae Halim

• 3. PURE EV - ePluto 7G
  • ​I like this company because they are open, transparent, and investing in R&D. They have put in a lot of work into the battery and BMS design. I rode the scooter for 100+ km and it has exceptional range and is a very comfortable ride even for long distances. I also like the fact that the pricing is affordable, even without subsidy!! I prefer the 7G over the NEO because of the classic look.
• 2. Earth Energy - Glyde
  • I haven’t tested this scooter myself but I'm excited about the mid-drive design. This is the main reason why Glyde scores over ePluto 7G. I also like the software features. The AccuRange algorithm gives them very good SOC estimation, this is something no other company offers, except Ather Energy. I also like the Aesthetic appeal and am very excited to test it out.
• 1. Ather Energy - Ather 450X
  • I think that by being able to control every aspect of the design, development and production they are able to make a superior product with some really top notch features. They even test the scooters rigorously, thoroughly. This is very important in the real world. Not just as computer simulations. I’ve test driven the scooter and true to its promise the mid-drive design gives it amazing balance, stability, and performance. Also for me, the highest localization levels on the list is a huge bonus.

Atul Gopal

• 3. BGauss B8
  • ​I like the fits and finish. I love the motor. WE are big fans of Bosch motor and its torquey and fun scooter to ride.  because they are open, transparent, and investing in R&D. They have put in a lot of work into the battery and BMS design. I rode the scooter for 100+ km and it has exceptional range and is a very comfortable ride even for long distances. I also like the fact that the pricing is affordable, even without subsidy!! I prefer the 7G over the NEO because of the classic look.
• 2. Ather Energy - Ather 450 Plus
  • If i had to choose between X and Plus, i can make do without warp. The price is on the higher side. But for that kind of power and torque that i enjoy, i don't mind paying a premium.
• 1. PURE EV eTrance Neo
  • Most of you know, we love the eTrance Neo. I have been using it for last 4 months and i'm very happy. Range is excellent, ride quality is excellent. More importantly it offers a great value for money. It just works like the Sholay film! Good value for money product and that is my number one for me!

Note - These picks are personal choices of Raphae and Atulji. Other team members of PluginIndia have their own top 3. No company has paid us to say nice things. These are from Atul and Raphae's experience and perception.

---

Final Words
Thanks to entire electric scooter industry for sharing details and being communicative and doing a great jobs by creating EV products for India. This is just the beginning.