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Batt:RE One e-scooter ride review: Fancy design, nimble ride, tight on comfort

Batt:RE ONE
₹73,900-107,900
3.5 out of 5
Pros
  • Funky design
  • Peppy performance
  • Practicality-focused features
Cons
  • Price
  • Riding comfort
Batt:RE ONE is a funky looking electric scooter with ample power ensuring agile handling, offering fun ride experience.Using Batt:RE ONE for regular c
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Batt:RE One comes with an unusual design that grabs attention very easily. (Image: HT Auto/Mainak Das)

One of the key reasons for a remarkable rise in demand for electric two-wheelers has been the need for personal mobility options in Covid-19 times. The trend has been further accelerated by sky-high petrol prices, as many have opted for a second two-wheeler which is powered by a battery. Many first-time urban buyers too are preferring electric scooters over traditional internal combustion-powered two-wheelers. The options are many. The scope is huge. And the playing field is level. As such, Jaipur-based Batt:RE One electric scooter may have as good a chance of finding favour as any.

Electric scooters are low hanging fruits in the Indian two-wheeler market, thanks to their affordable pricing. It is a debatable question if the Indian two-wheeler market is really improving with the rise of electric scooters as manufacturers are majorly importing batteries and components from China and assembling them here.

However, one thing is clear.

The number of electric vehicles in India is bulging fast spearheaded by electric scooters. Call it the increasing demand for personal mobility or improved awareness of consumers, or record high petrol price - electric scooters are witnessing a sales boom that is attracting many players in the space, especially a bunch of startups.

Batt:RE is one such startup but what does the Batt:RE One electric scooter have on offer?

Batt:RE ONE design and storage:

The very first glimpse of Batt:RE One is bound to catch one's attention with its unique styling. The scooter looks funky with its overall appearance and with seven different colours on offer, the problem of choosing one is a good problem to have. The electric scooter has a cute and funky front fascia featuring a full round LED headlamp with integrated circular LED daytime running light, sitting at the middle of the front cowl.

Batt:RE One electric scooter is available in a range of bright colour options. (Image: HT Auto/Mainak Das)

The LED headlamp throws light wide, illuminating the road ahead sufficiently. There are sleek LED turn indicators that are positioned independently.

The scooter comes with a large full LCD display, which shows information such as remaining charge, distance driven, speed etc. Unlike conventional scooters that get wide and flat handlebars, Batt:RE ONE comes with a raked handlebar, something similar to motorcycles. The handlebar is a bit shorter than traditional motorcycles or scooters. This would make you uncomfortable if you are habituated to riding a regular commuter motorcycle or scooter.

The LCD display offers pretty good visibility even in strong daylight. (Image: HT Auto/Mainak Das)

The switch clusters come with a host of control switches. One of them is the reverse switch, which allows the rider to reverse the scooter without much or any effort. The retro-themed round mirrors are positioned high enough compared to other scooters.

There is a USB charger that allows you to charge your phone on the go and a small storage space is there as well. It can hold a one-litre bottle and you can keep the phone too. There is a small hook for shipping bag or bags. The footboard doesn't leave much space for a tall rider, as the front cowl tends to touch the knee.

The seat is not wide enough to ensure a comfortable ride experience, especially for the passenger. The scooter gets both footpegs and a side leg rest.

The electric scooter gets four rectangular LEDs in form of taillights that are visible from quite a distance. They come flanked by three vertical slats on each side in form of turn indicators. (Image: HT Auto/Mainak Das)

At the rear, there is a small passenger backrest bolted to grab rail. This backrest can be removed too. The scooter gets four block-shaped LEDs acting as taillight, and the cluster also gets integrated vertical triple LED rear turn indicators at each side. The under-seat storage can easily hold a helmet and you can keep the charger along with some important documents as well.

This electric scooter runs on 10-inch alloy wheels wrapped with Ceat tubeless tyres. For braking duty, it relies on 220 mm disc brakes on both wheels. Batt:RE One comes equipped with front fork-type hydraulic suspension and rear adjustable hydraulic coilover. This scooter also has a ground clearance of 185 mm.

The Batt:RE One electric scooter runs on 10-inch alloy wheels wrapped with Ceat tyres and for braking duty both the wheels get 220 mm disc brakes ensuring efficient braking. (Image: HT Auto/Mainak Das)

Batt:RE ONE specs:

The 65-kg weighing Batt:RE ONE is powered by a BLDC hub motor fitted to the rear wheel, which takes its juice from a 48V 30Ah Lithium Ferro Phosphate (LFP) battery pack, which sits neatly below the under-seat storage.

The battery takes around 2.5-3 hours time to get fully charged. Once completely charged, it provides power to the scooter to run around 80 kms. Batt:RE claims, this battery comes with 2,000 charging cycles. This means, even if you charge it regularly, it ought to remain healthy for more than five years.

What is slightly strange though is that the manufacturer doesn't reveal the peak power and torque output of this e-scooter.

Speaking about its top speed, there are three different riding modes allowing different top speed limits. In the Eco mode, the top speed limit is 27 kmph, while in the City mode it allows you to run at 35 kmph and the Sport or top mode reaches 44 kmph of speed.

Keyless access enhances the convenience and security aspect of this electric scooter, which allows you to lock or unlock, start the scooter remotely by using a key fob.

The electric scooter is perfect for a funky riding companion in and around city, but it lacks riding comfort for both the rider and passenger. (Image: HT Auto/Mainak Das)

Batt:RE ONE ride impressions:

I had the chance to ride the Batt:RE ONE electric scooter in and around the joyous city of Kolkata for a whole day, giving me ample time to test it from different perspectives in real-world conditions like dense city traffic, open stretches and those bumpy and pothole-filled roads too. Here are the takeaways from my experience of riding Batt:RE ONE electric scooter.

On open stretches with low traffic, one is likely to be quite satisfied with how brisk and nimble this electric scooter is. I rode the scooter mostly in Sport mode. Running at 44 kmph on a stretch in a two-wheeler may seem nothing surprising, but riding an electric scooter at that speed seems pretty fun.

However, riding it on a road full of patches and potholes will snatch away that feeling of fun, as the comfortable riding experience will be gone with hard bumps. Its suspension setup doesn't come much comforting. The acceleration and braking capability of the e-scooter are pretty good, as I experienced in both bumper-to-bumper traffic and on the open stretch.

As for the charging, the battery takes 2.5-3 hours to be fully charged, which is nearly half the time my Hero Atria electric scooter takes. Also, the battery comes with a digital display showcasing the charging status. Once it is fully charged, the charger cuts off power automatically minimising the chance of any mishap.

The instrument cluster is pretty good with a full LCD display. In my Hero Atria, I find checking the display in strong daylight a bit difficult but this one is neat - showing everything perfectly even in broad sunlight.

However, despite the overall positive experience, I found a few glitches and shortcomings in the Batt:RE scooter. The instrument cluster doesn't show the battery status properly. Even when the charge was full, the battery sign in the instrument display was showing at 51 per cent and it quickly drops to 47 per cent.

However, the company claims, that its digital display doesn't show the charge status but volt. Only the battery integrated display shows charge status. This is confusing for common buyers. Also, I found the scooter's battery drained to 27.9 per cent after running 33 km in Sport mode.

Not only that, the speedometer reading of this e-scooter is probably glitchy as well. I compared it along with a TVS Ntorq 125 running side by side at the same pace. While the Batt:RE ONE's speedo reading was showing 38 kmph, the Apache's speedometer was showing 30 kmph!

Another rather deceptive addition is the back rest which may appear comfortable but could the exact opposite for many. Also, the seat is shorter in both length and width, which makes it less comfortable if two persons are riding. For a single rider, it is fine though. The rider's leg space area too comes with a bit of space crunch, as knees almost touch the front cowl. The e-scooter I was given for the review had faulty passenger footpegs and weren't shutting.

Overall though, the Batt:RE ONE electric scooter is a decent offering with a few evident shortcomings. At 70,999 (ex showroom), this could be a good buy if you are looking for fun rides. However, for regular commuting and as Indian two-wheeler owners usually ride with a passenger, the comfort level is something that decreases its score.

Liked:

Overall design

Swift acceleration

Precise braking

Disliked:

Glitchy instrument cluster

Seat length and width

Backrest cushioning

First Published Date: 23 Dec 2021, 11:04 AM IST
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