Simple One | Awaited Electric Charm | First Ride Review

Simple One:  Performance and Battery

The Simple One promises to be on the practical side of the spectrum with the 4.8kWh lithium-ion IP67-rated battery pack with PMSM motor developing an 8.5kW of peak performance and 4.5kW of nominal power. Moreover, the max torque of 72Nm makes it one of the fastest accelerating scooters in its class, with 0-40kmph in 2.77 seconds.The fundamental area wherein one electric scooter aces or differs from others is the range. No matter how addictive EVs are to ride, one does not solely buy them for performance, as one is bound to ride them in their city confines. However, the performance should not be dull either to take away the charm of EVs in pursuit of more range.

One of the significant talking point about the Simple One is its 1.5kWh portable battery pack, which sits beneath the seat just beside the boot space. And another fixed 3.3kWh battery pack mounted under the floorboard translating to a total of 4.8kWh battery capacity. The battery is embodied with 21700 cells with a nominal voltage of 50.4V. Most importantly, the battery is designed all in-house. Simple Energy has partnered with IIT Indore to support the safety standards against current and voltage malfunctions.

Simple Energy claims are put to the test, and quite honestly, they have nailed it with fundamentals they are backing on. The buzz of a PMSM (Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor) is fairly euphoric, and the torque ripple effect is barely noticeable. The Simple One has four riding modes- Eco, Ride, Dash and Sonic. We got our test mule with a 96 per cent charge, which translated into 192kms of range in Eco mode, 115km Dash mode and 76km in Sonic mode. The Sonic mode gives justice to all the EV addiction we indulge in and gets off-the-line performance super quick. Whereas in Dash mode, power delivery is quite linear and smooth. The kid in me is inclined with the manic power delivery of Dash and Sonic Mode,so I found riding in Eco mode  a little quite dull to use. But, out in the real world scenarios, I reckon Eco mode is the go-to mode for the range conscious buyers. However, with pillion and luggage, Eco-mode would be obtuse to be used. The 206-km of claimed ideal range (which might vary according to your driving conditions) in Eco mode would help to last the battery longer as the charging cycle decreases significantly.

Simple One: Ride, Handling and Braking

The Simple One gets Telescopic forks at the front and a symmetrically mounted Mono-Shock at the rear. The suspensions are not entirely tuned towards a stiffer side to give a firmer ride experience. Moreover the aluminum swing arm adds further suppleness to the ride quality.

The Simple One is not a corner carver, as the footboard\’s underbody scrapes out when leaned hard. However, the maneuvering and quick turning were quite assuring, to say the least. The updated 26-degree caster angle adds ease to helm through tight corners.

The braking in the Simple One is catered by a 200mm disc with a double piston caliper at the front and a 190mm disc with a single-piston caliper at the rear. The combi braking unit does a pretty OK job in stopping the scooter. However, on hard braking, the modulations on the handlebar are felt quite significantly. We test rode the scooter in a confined area that restricted the limits of the scooter. However, we can strengthen our judgments if we get to test-ride the production version out on Indian roads soon, hopefully.