Simple Energy One : Is it worth the hype?

When Ola Electric launched its S1 and S1 Pro electric scooters, a startup from Bengaluru Simple Energy also launched its electric scooter called Simple One on the same day. Right now, Simple One is the only competitor that can actually beat Ola Electric in this electric vehicle race. Simple Energy not only offers a longer range, but also a faster speed than Ola Electric Scooters. The company hosted the launch event both online and offline. They were live on YouTube and on their website. In this article, we will first discuss all the features and specifications of Simple One and at the end I will tell you why you should not buy Simple One.

Highlights of Simple One:

• World’s quickest electric scooter
• Longest range in the segment
• Class-leading under seat storage

Prices and Variants

Simple Energy has launched the One in two variants. Both have the same name and specifications except for the tire size. The Simple One is priced at Rs 1,09,999, including FAME -II subsidy. The price will further come down depending on the state. The second variant with a smaller tire has a slightly lower price, but the company has not yet announced the exact price for this variant. The CEO, Mr. Suhas Rajkumar, has said that the price will be slightly lower than the standard variant.

Simple Energy will also offer EMI options for its customers, but has not yet announced details. The Simple One is available in four colour options: Brazen Black, Namma Red, Azure Blue, Grace White.

Specifications and Features

The Simple One has many class leading features which no electric scooter has before in India. The One is the world’s quickest scooter as well as it offers the longest range than any other electric scooters in India.

Here is the list of specifications of Simple One:

The scooter has 4 riding modes: eco, ride, dash and sonic. The speed in Eco mode is 40-45 km/h and the range is 203 km. As mentioned earlier, the scooter has two batteries, one fixed and one removable. The fixed battery has a range of 140 km and the removable battery has a range of 60 km. Even if the fixed battery is empty, you can continue to use the scooter with the removable battery. Both batteries are included with the scooter and you do not need to buy the removable battery separately.

The Simple One has a 7-inch dashboard with a brightness of 1000 nits. The dashboard displays all the necessary information you want to see such as speed, battery percentage, kms remaining, tire pressure, etc. You can choose between many color options available for dashboard and there is also a dark mode.

The Simple One comes with an app that allows you to access various information such as your scooter’s charging status, Find My Bike, remote locking and unlocking, document storage, geo-fencing. Other features of the scooter include a tire pressure monitoring system, over-the-air updates, fast charging location, vehicle tracking, SOS message, preventive maintenance/diagnostics, vacation mode, schedule mode, group ride, etc. The scooter also has reverse mode, cruise control and voice control.

Booking and Delivery

The pre-order of the scooter has already started on 15th August at a price of Rs 1947 which is fully refundable. Book your Simple One on Simple Energy’s website.

Simple Energy will have dealerships and exclusive experience centers for its customers. Simple Energy has not yet announced when they will be setting up these dealerships and experience centers. The company has also not yet announced an exact month or date when they will begin deliveries of the scooter.

Simple Loop and Simple Factory

Simple Loop is the charger provided to the customer when the scooter is purchased. This charger will also be publicly available and you will be able to charge not only your Simple One scooter, but also the electric scooter from other brands with the Simple Loop. The Simple Loop will be installed in every city where Simple Energy will launch its scooter. The company plans to install more than 300 charging stations in 13 states over the next 7 months.

Simple Energy’s factory is located in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. The factory is not yet completed and is still under construction. The factory will have a production capacity of 1 million scooters per year and will be ready for Industry 4.0. The company has partnered with 120 dealers and more than 70 suppliers to source all the necessary parts and things for the Simple One. That’s why the Simple One is 99% localised. The only thing that is imported are the cells that are used in the Simple One.

But should you buy Simple One ?

So this is the most important part of this article. Read it carefully before you make a decision. If you ask me my opinion on whether you should pre-order the Simple One or not, I say ‘NO’, at least for the next few months until the company clarifies some things. So here are the reasons for my no,

• The model featured during the launch event was a pre-production model
• The specifications of the scooter have not been finalized
• They still haven’t revealed the final range of the scooter
• The company is still in the funding phase
• The factory is empty and still under construction
• Delivery dates are not yet announced

Another thing I want to share is how the company played with the specifications. What I am saying is that on July 9, 2021, Suhas Rajkumar, the founder and CEO of Simple Energy, tweeted that the acceleration of the scooter is 3.2 sec and if you know the Ather 450X has an acceleration time of 3.3 sec.

Then, on August 15, when Simple Energy was about to launch its scooter, the company’s website was live just before the launch and the website mentioned that the acceleration time was 3.05 sec and the same acceleration time was also printed in the brochure provided to the media persons who were present at the event. But on August 15, morning, Ola Electric launched its scooters which have an acceleration time of 3 sec. So Simple Energy changed the acceleration time of its scooter again to 2.95 sec in the event presentation and updated the figures later on the website.

Another thing I want to share with you, and this is something serious, is the fact that on the dashboard of the model that was on the launch, it had the registration and VIN number of Ather 450X. This clearly indicates that it is a redesigned Ather 450X. But when asked to Mr. Suhas Rajkumar about it, he said that it is a Clicth.

So now it is up to you whether you want to trust such a company or not. Think about it for a moment, because this company is constantly changing their numbers and not giving the media people and the common people any real answers. You almost get the feeling that they only give these numbers to market themselves so that they get a large number of pre-orders and not everyone does a detailed research on a product that has these world class specs and has created a huge hype.

Now learn why Ola Electric Scooter is the better choice for your pre-order. Ola has announced all the final specifications of the scooter and the models shown at the launch was the final production models. Ola has also completed Phase- 1 of its Ola Factory and has the funding to move forward with operations at a faster pace. They have also announced the delivery dates. If you want to know everything about Ola Electric Scooter, read this article.