Reviews

PureEV ePluto 7G electric scooter review

Long Range And Great Performance.
The boot space could have been better.
By Raphae Halim on November 25, 2019 11:30 am

​SPONSORED
PluginIndia collected a service fee from PureEV to make this in-depth review possible.
This is not an endorsement. We always strive to be objective.
Video Review
PureEV is a Hyderabad based company manufacturing Electric Scooters and Lithium-Ion battery packs. The PluginIndia team received their latest electric scooter model - ePluto7G which is launched in December 2019 pan India.  
​PureEV has been selling their electric scooter called the ePluto since 2018. The ePluto is a low-speed scooter which did not need a licence and registration.
This ePluto 7G, which you see here, is a high-speed variant, which can go up to 65 kmph.

​Here are some photos of the PureEV ePluto

Can the retro looks match its ride-ability and performance?  Read on!
So here is our take on the ePluto7G electric scooter:

Styling & Looks : 6 out of 8


  • [+1] The PureEV ePluto has a retro look.
    • ​​Many people ask us if it’s a Vespa petrol scooter and we immediately educate them saying its an electric scooter made by PureEV!
  • [+1] The glossy red color of the scooter goes well with the reddish color of the seat.
    • The ePluto 7G is also available in white color.
  • [+1] The battery is mounted inside the seat. We love the aluminium casing and the form factor of the battery.
    • The battery weighs 14.5 kgs and kinda heavy but is fairly easy to remove and carry along.
  • ​​[0] The battery takes up almost half the boot space, which makes it impossible to store a full-sized helmet.
  • ​[+1] Yellow turn indicators and bright visible brake & signal lights.
  • [+1] The backlit digital LCD display is very neat with all the information like Speed, Odometer, Turn Indicator, Battery Status Bars.
  • ​[0] The LCD display is very similar to the normal ePluto scooter.
    • They still have a Guessometer which shows the battery state of charge in terms of bars.
    • We would have loved to see an accurate state of charge percentage indicator.
    • We did speak to the team at PureEV who are developing the battery in house and they told us that the LCD Display panel will change in coming months as they add BMS and controller features.
  • And the accurate state of charge percentage indicator on the LCD, is a problem the team is working on priority.
  • [+1] Horn is loud - Since the vehicle is silent, to get the attention of pedestrians and to get noticed in a noisy traffic environment.
    • ​The horn is hard to reach with the thumb finger, But you can get used to it.

Performance & Ride : 7 out of 8

  • [+1] The scooter has 3 speed modes. Mode 1 goes upto 45 kmph. Mode 2 goes upto 55 kmph and Mode 3 goes up to the top speed of 65 kmph.
    • You twist the throttle to the max in mode 1 or 2 and then switch to the next mode and you feel an instant burst of power which helps you overtake slow-moving vehicles on the road.
    • We never felt the need for more power. The ePluto 7G offers performance that almost matches the performance of petrol scooters.
  • [+1] The ePluto top speed goes down to 60 kmph after riding around 25 km
    • We asked PureEV if the top speed will go down as the SOC decreases and they said this is as per design. The controller limits the top speed to extend Battery Life and Range per trip. Thermal runaway shoots up exponentially as voltage drops.
    • ​The team at PureEV is tuning the controller to make the drop as smooth as possible.
  • [0]  The ePluto 7G has a hard suspension and you feel the bumps and jerks of Indian roads. There is scope to improve the suspension 
  • [+1] The BLDC motor delivers peak power up to 2kW and is nearly silent. You do listen to a pleasant whine of the motor, especially under stress in increased assist levels.
  • [+1] We managed to achieve the claimed top speed of 65 kmph which is damn good!
  • [+1] The ride quality is fantastic. The scooter responds well while making turns 
  • [+1] We really liked the stability. It feels safe riding the ePluto 7G which weighs only 80 kg.
  • [+1] Good ground clearance of 165 mm. The main stand does not scrape the speed breakers. ​

Efficiency & Range : 5 out of 6

  • ​[+1] The battery pack has 2.5 kWh worth of energy stored inside it. 
    • A big plus for making the battery in-house. This will ensure that the company can service the battery in case of issues.
  • [0]  The 5 bars on the LCD display is still a Guessometer - which is hard to estimate the state of charge remaining. We would have loved to see an accurate state of charge percentage indicator.  
    • We did speak to the team at PureEV who are developing the battery in house and they told us that the LCD DIsplay panel will change in coming months as they add BMS and controller features. And the accurate state of charge percentage indicator on the LCD is a problem the team is working, on priority.
  • [+1] The PureEV ePluto only consumes 2.5 units (kWh) of electricity on fully charging the battery.
            Very good economy for those who decide to use it as a means of daily commute.
  • [+1]  Test ride 1: Kharghar, Navi Mumbai to SantaCruz, Mumbai - 35 km
    • A ride where we encountered lots of traffic and had a mix of highway riding and bumper to bumper traffic.
    • We had around 3 bars battery remaining out of total 5 bars.
  • [+1] Test ride 2: Juhu Beach to Santacruz & back  - 50 km
    • ​ A ride in peak morning rush hour traffic to South Mumbai.
      • We had fully charged the battery and after the ride there was 3 bars remaining out of 4.
      • Although we noticed after riding 20+ km, the top speed was dropped to 60 kmph from 65 kmph.
  • [+1] So for a short 10 km ride, the battery still showed 5 bars, which ensures if you keep the battery charged, you will never run out of juice for small in city runs. ​

Charging : 3 out of 3

  • [+1] The e-Bike battery is removable  You can take the battery home or at work to charge.
    • A big plus if you have no access to charging at parking areas.
  • [+1]  The Charge Indicator on the LCD shows a blue light when charging and goes green when fully charged.
  • [+1] The 6 amp charger is compact and charging at low rates is good for the life of the battery.

Pricing and Availability : 3 out of 3

  • [+1] The ePluto 7G’s price will be revealed in end of December 2019
    • We expect it to be priced at around Rs 1 Lakh which is kinda pricey but decent for a scooter that gives 100+ km per charge.
  • [+1] The PureEV ePluto 7G should have the FAME 2 subsidy.​
  • [+1] ​As of November 2019, they have 35+ dealers pan India and are operating in 12 states -
    • Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, Noida. So if you are in any of these states,         do visit them and try it out!

Extra Features : 5 out of 7

  • [+1]​ The stylish mirrors offer good view of traffic behind and also look good.
  • ​[+1] Nice electric horn which is loud enough for Indian cities.
  • ​[+1] The white colour LED light looks nice and bright, which will ensure you have no trouble at night
  • [+1] Extra comfort handle grips
  • [+1] There is a small container in front to store small items.
  • [+1] The anti theft alarm system works well!
  • [-1] Lack of Boot space to place a helmet or even a charger is an issue. I would love to store the charger and sadly the space is lacking. ​

Long Term Ownership Details

  • PureEV Makes their own batteries instead of outsourcing them from other companies so the servicing/maintenance will be easy and cheap.
  • There are no software or hardware upgrade plans for the ePluto 7G according to the PureEV team till now, so buyers should keep that in mind.

Final thoughts

The PureEv team has upped the ante in terms of their offerings. Initially they only had low speed models but now with the ePluto 7G they have ventured into Power Scooters.
So great to see that and good luck on the launch of the ePluto 7G and we wish they keep improving it with new upgrades and features.

As always ride safe and always wear a helmet!  Over and Out!
Enjoy the retro looks of the PureEV EPluto 7G ! 
Thank You!
The PluginIndia review team would like to thank the following people for being very nice and co-operating with us in order to work on this review.
  • Swarna Ramineni & Dr Nishanth Dongari from PureEV
Other Links
comments powered by Disqus
Got questions?
Do contact us via the contact form and we will get back to you!