Joy e-Bike Mihos first ride impressions: This electric scooter is “unbreakable”
Electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular in the Indian market. Several new manufacturers have entered this space but there are a few companies that have been selling electric vehicles for a few years now. One such manufacturer is Joy e-bike which already does have several products under its portfolio and has been selling them since 2018. The latest product to come out from the brand's factory is the Mihos electric scooter. Mihos is the new flagship scooter for Joy e-bike so it might be the most important product for the manufacturer. We got to ride the Joy Mihos on a small go-kart track. However, it is important to note that the scooters that we rode were not production-spec so there might be some changes before the deliveries of the electric scooters start in March end.
Joy Mihos: Looks and build quality
In terms of looks, the Mihos has a retro design with modern elements. The headlamp, tail lamp and even the turn indicators are circular in shape. There are even rear-view mirrors in chrome to complement the retro look of the scooter. The seat is finished in black and gets white stitching. Some paint schemes will also get a brown seat that looks more premium than the black one. Speaking of paint schemes, it is offered in four colour options. There is Metallic Blue, Solid Black Glossy, Solid Yellow Glossy and Pearl White.
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Then there is the build quality which is the USP as well as one of the weak points at least for now. The USP is that the body panels are made up of Poly DiCycloPentadiene or PDCPD. Because of this, the body panels are very sturdy and by that, I mean that they can take a beating. If you went to the Auto Expo 2023, you might have seen Joy e-bike's stand where they presented the platform and people were allowed to hammer it and it still did not take any damage. Yes, in real life the paint would get scrubbed off but there is a high chance that there would be no significant damage to the body panels.
However, on the other hand, the build quality of several parts is not good. The switchgear, seat hinge, side stand and the pillion footstep. Having said that, the manufacturer says that the build quality issue is there because the scooters that were at the event belong to their first batch.
Joy Mihos: Handling and ride quality
The suspension setup on the scooter felt a bit on the stiffer side. Because of this, it handled better than what I was expecting. What limits you from pushing the scooter in the corners is its side stand which starts scraping quite easily. Also, a special mention goes to the weight of the scooter, it feels manageable and quite nimble. As mentioned above, we tested the scooter only on a small go-kart track so as of now we cannot fully comment on the ride quality.
Joy Mihos: Performance
Joy e-bike claims that the Mihos can accelerate from 0-40 kmph in less than 7 seconds and it has a top speed of 70 kmph. The 1500W motor can deliver a torque output of 95 Nm. The power comes in a very linear manner so don't expect it to deliver an exhilarating performance. It gets three riding modes - Eco, Ride and Hyper.
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The manufacturer has tuned the motor in such a way that it cuts off power as soon as the rider touches the brakes. Most people who are riding a two-wheeler often have to modulate the brake and throttle simultaneously while filtering through traffic. I also faced a weird bug where if the rider would be very gentle with the throttle, the scooter would stop responding to the inputs and then again suddenly start responding to them.
Joy Mihos: Braking
Braking duties on the Mihos are done by a disc in the front as well as at the rear. The manufacturer is offering a Combi-braking system as standard. The brakes are good, they have a good bite and provide good confidence. They did make a lot of noise under hard braking. Joy said that they are aware of the issue and it is happening because of the brake pad material. They would be making changes to the brake pads before shipping the production-spec version.
Joy Mihos: Battery pack and riding range
The battery pack on the Joy Mihos measures 2.5 kWh. The manufacturer says that it comes with safety sensors including overcurrent protection and a thermal cut-off feature. It takes more than 5 hours to fully charge the battery pack and can deliver a riding range of 100 km.
Joy Mihos: Features
The electric scooter is equipped with a 4.3-inch color TFT display that shows various information. It is not a touchscreen nor there is a joystick to control it and it is not the brightest display. One needs to use the Android application to use connected features such as turn-by-turn navigation which can be shown on the screen. There is also geofencing, trip planning, smart remote control etc.
Joy Mihos: Pricing and verdict
Joy Mihos is priced at ₹1.35 lakh ex-showroom, Pan India. The product seems to be decent and should get the job done. However, the manufacturer would need to sort the niggles out before starting the deliveries. It is aimed towards people who want to keep the scooter for a long time. However, we still have not ridden the scooter in the environment that it will be used in i.e. the city so for now we will be reserving our full judgement.
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