Simple One electric scooter gets additional battery pack for over 300 kms range

Electric scooters may be far from ideal for highway rides owing to range-related limits but Simple Energy on Tuesday announced the launch of an additional battery pack for its Simple One electric scooter which takes its combined per-charge range to over 300 kilometres.

Simple One claims to offer a range of 236 kilometres in ideal conditions but the introduction of an additional 1.6 kWh battery pack further adds to this figure. The company further states that this battery can be stowed in the boot of the electric scooter which adds to the convenience aspect.

While a number of electric scooter models come with a non-removable battery - manufactures cite reasons such as better center of gravity and hassle of carrying weighted batteries for charging, Simple Energy has gone the other way like a few others in offering the flexibility.

The Simple One electric scooter will come with an upgraded 8.5 kW motor which produces 72 Nm of torque. It offers fast-charging option, has a 30-litre boot space and a host of smart features such as on-board navigation, riding modes, phone app, call and music control, among others.

The original variant of Simple One has been priced at ₹1.09 lakh but the one with the additional battery has been priced at ₹1.45 lakh (ex showroom prices). Bookings are already open at ₹1,947 and deliveries will commence from June onwards with production at the company facility in Tamil Nadu's Hosur. This facility has an annual production capacity of up to 1 million units and is set to begin operations in the coming weeks.

The demand for electric two-wheelers in India has seen a significant jump in recent times, prompting many new players like Simple Energy to enter the fray to challenge the relatively well-established players like Hero Electric, Ather Energy and Okinawa Autotech.