Low-speed or high-performance electric scooter: Which to buy

I have a 2005 Bajaj Discover 125 in decent condition. It is used for short runabouts. My wife feels that it should be replaced with a better set of wheels.

BHPian girishglg recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Firstly, I am a guy who has sworn on the traditional IC motor be it for the four-wheelers I own or the motorcycle. Speaking of motorcycles, I am a very big fan of them, more commonly called in our land as bikes. I have a first-generation Bajaj Discover 125 circa 2005 make which is still serving me well for my meagre usage in and around my locality for the odd errands. Though I love bikes, I am not the biker kind and still love to do the long drives in the comfort of my cars.

That said, the question you may ask is – Why am I even having this dilemma of buying an electric scooter? And the answer to that is that it is not a straightforward requirement (at least for me) and hence would like your valued inputs to come to an informed decision.

So all these questions started with the current situation in hand that is I have a bike which is quite old but in decent working condition and perfectly usable for short runabouts. However, my better half has a very bleak opinion about it and feels it should have been disposed of a long while ago for a better set of wheels as in my case preferably another bike.

But now I feel that at this juncture of my life where I prefer to use my two cars which are the Alto 800 (again used for city runabouts) and the trusty EcoSport TDCi (mainly for the highway runs and for all the other travel needs), there is not a requirement for another mainstream two-wheeler which can be a bike or a scooter.

Some of the key thoughts running around my mind if I go in for a new two-wheeler are:

• The two-wheeler space is at the crux of getting electrified (EV) with the biggies such as Ola, Ather, Hero etc gunning with big launches and investments.
• However, I call all these launches version 1.0 as these vehicles are still being introduced, tested and upgrades made to both their hardware and software to make them perfect for the V2.0 so to say.
• Hence, feel that it is not the right time to invest in such models for the next two years or so till they finally get it right, set up the support infrastructure and iron out all the major niggles and flaws.
• Have a requirement for short runabouts hence not especially worried about range or speed, but it should be able to carry two persons with some groceries without much of a hassle. So if the low-speed models can do this with ease at a cheaper investment then why not go in for one for a couple of years and then buy a mainstream high-performance one once things stabilize.
• For convenience, would go in for a scooter/scooterette (many people refer it commonly to as Scooty but I would associate it to only one company who made this legendary model – TVS).
• The charging infrastructure is still at a nascent stage as we living in an apartment do not have any community charging points etc, hence a vehicle with removable batteries would be a plus (however hate the point that it should be carried to and fro from the house every time it requires a charge).
• The cost of acquiring one of the latest launches such as Ola etc is north of a lakh of rupees and given all the issues listed above, feel that it is a little early to do so and become a guinea pig for the manufacturers to try their tricks on the first adapters
• I would like to typically feel, test drive and get to know the vehicle physically in a showroom and also check out their service facilities while buying a vehicle rather than book it over an app and get it delivered like an Amazon parcel (sorry to offend anyone but just call me very old school).
• That said with God’s grace I can go in for any of those available offerings such as Ola, Ather, TVS etc if there is a compelling reason that I should invest in them, however, all the above points get me thinking about it. Also would like to clarify that I would surely not go for a traditional scooter like Activa or Jupiter as I believe the time has come for its demise (as in, moving towards EVs would be the new normal).
• Last but not the least, I hope that if I pick up an entry-level electric scooter it would be easier for my better half to get introduced to riding a two-wheeler for the first time in her life given that currently she only know zipping in and out in the car. And this, in the long run, would be a quiet and efficient and convenient way of moving around locally.

So that brings us to the options for buying an electric scooter at an entry-level where it is broadly about two types:

• High Speed – Have rated speed over 45kmph and need RTO and Insurance
• Low Speed – Have rated speed upto 25kmph and no RTO

There are some of those low-speed models such as Okinawa R30, more details on their website, which is the low-speed version of their Ridge+. Given that Okinawa is now a well-established Indian brand (though sports a Japanese name) and has a good spread of dealerships across the country, this seems to be one of the prime specimens on my radar currently.

Would like to get your advice on:

• How is the ownership experience of an Okinawa electric scooter especially the R30?
• Are there any other low-speed models that are established and reliable in the market?
• Given my thoughts and requirements should I go in for a low-speed model or the mainstream electric scooter (not going for an ICE scooter for sure) after all?
• Any other considerations to make while going for an electric scooter?

Here’s what BHPian condor had to say about the matter:

• Unless your usage will be sufficiently high, I don’t see a point in investing in an E2W at this time while the products are yet to mature. Did you see that piece on SM where an Ola switched into reverse mode at 102 kph? I don’t know if it is true, but it sure gives an indication of the state-of-art level of these EVs.
• NO to low power scooters, for safety reasons. IMO – far better to get a regular power scooter, and use it as a regular 2W.
• Chinese? I won’t touch with a barge pole. Forget the nationalism part, but just the cheap image is sufficient. An old saying about Chinese maal – chale to shaam tak, nahi to chand take.

Here’s what BHPian shancz had to say about the matter:

No experience with two-wheeled EVs but I would strongly advise against low-speed units (<50kmph) because I see the acceleration as an active safety feature.

Also would request to stay away from the cheap ones as the Li-Ion battery pack is a potential hazard if not properly implemented which I doubt happens in those units.

We already have threads reporting fires, posts by fellow BHPian Electromotive are quite informative.

What to buy

If it has to be an EV then go with folks you can trust to have done a good job like TVS/Bajaj/Ather (not Ola, they’re yet to have sufficient vehicles on the ground without major malfunctions). But you will be charged for the same.

So better to get something more conventional for now and let the EVs mature.

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