With fuel prices skyrocketing and environmental pollution spiked to new unhealthy levels manufacturers around the world have been introducing new electric scooter that promise to kill two birds with one stone and now as social distancing becomes the new normal in the COVID-19 era personal mobility solution is one of the key ingredients that automatically enables social distancing and thus safety as compared to public modes of transport.
One such company, Simple Energy, a new start-up has unveiled its max performance eScooter dubbed ‘Mark 2’ that has been designed to provide a clean, green eco-friendly electric mobility solution that not only comes with a long riding range to reduce the range anxiety but also fast charging capabilities that have never been experienced before.
The company has announced that the Simple Energy Mark 2 eScooter will be manufactured in India to up to 90% at the brand’s Yelahanka production facility in Bangalore and its production is expected to commence from February 2021. The company has a resourced INR 1.3 Crore and claims to raise another USD 1 Million by the next month to fuel the production plant which has a capacity of 50,000 units.
The Simple Energy Mark 2 is a production-ready 100% electric scooter that is powered by a lightweight removable Lithium-Ion battery pack that claims a range of 280+ km on a single charge. The brand also claims that the battery can be replenished in 40 minutes at home or in 17 minutes using a fast-charging station. The Mark 2 max-performance electric scooter claims to achieve a top speed of 103 kmph and can sprint from 0-50 kmph in 3.1 seconds.
The Mark 2 eScooter features geometric styling on the front and rear with inverted triangular LED daytime running lights, angular front apron, handlebar shroud integrated turn indicators, telescopic front fork, large alloy wheels, a generous footboard, ergonomic seating, a sharp rear wth LED taillamps, a midship mounted electric motor and chain-sprocket type final drive. The Simple Mark 2 also features a 7-inch touchscreen display with IP67 rating and 4G connectivity.
The Simple Energy Mark 2 is expected to benefit from the Govt of India’s FAME II Scheme (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) that will help the manufacturer with a subsidy that could be passed down to its customers allowing the electric scooter to be priced affordably. The brand has announced that the Mark2 eScooter will be priced around the INR 1 lakh to 1.10 lakh mark but has not revealed if the price includes the FAME II subsidy.