BREAKING: Simple One Gen 2 Launched In India: Longer Range, Better Features & Performance

Quick Highlights: 

• Price starts at Rs 1,39,999 (ex-showroom, introductory)

• Top spec variant gets a 5kWh battery pack, with a claimed range of 265km

• The top variant can go from 0 to 40kmph in 2.55 seconds, and gets a top speed of 115kmph

Bengaluru based EV manufacturer, Simple Energy, has launched the new Simple One Gen 2 range of electric scooters in India, at a starting price of Rs 1,39,999 (ex-showroom). The scooter is available in 2 models: Simple One S and the Simple One Gen 2. Simple One Gen 2 is further available in two variants based on the battery capacity: 4.5kWh and 5kWh. The Simple One range is aimed at everyday city riders looking for a sporty and modern electric scooter.

Design

The new Gen 2 looks more or less similar to the previous-gen SImple One Gen 1.5 version. However, it gets sharper body panels, tweaked angular elements on the apron and handlebar cowl, a pair of air-ducts to keep the console components cool, and a cleaner-looking rear section. Simple has kept the mantra simple: retain the cool, youth centric design, and we’re not complaining.

The Simple One Gen 2 is available in some funky colour options, five single tone shades and four dual tone shades. Grace White, Aero Grey, Brazen Black, Azure Blue, Sonic Red are single tone, whereas Light X, Aero X, Brazen X, Asphalt X  are dual tone finishes. We personally like the single tone Sonic Red paint scheme the most.

Battery and Performance

Simple Energy has introduced a fixed, 5kWh battery pack option for the first time, and it offers an impressive claimed range as well. With a claimed 0 to 40kmph time of 2.55 seconds, and a top speed of 115kmph, seems as sporty as it looks.

Underpinnings

The scooter is built on an all new steel tube frame and comes with a conventional telescopic fork, and a rear monoshock. It runs on 12-inch alloy wheels with 90-section tyres at both ends.

Braking is handled by a 200mm front and a 190mm rear disc brake setup with CBS (Combined Braking System). At 129kg (kerb) the Simple One Gen 2 (5kWh variant) is 8kg lighter than the Gen 1.5. All of these models get a manageable seat height of 780mm. These aspects should make the scooter easier to manage in daily city riding.

Features

Being a modern e-scooter, the Simple One Gen 2 comes loaded with useful features. It gets a 7-inch TFT touchscreen instrument console, with smartphone connectivity, full-fledged Google Maps navigation, digital document storage, ride statistics, OTA (Over The Air) updates, and dynamic themes. It gets 5 modes for the traction control: Road, Rain, Track, and Rally, along with 4 levels of regenerative braking. This ensures maximum wheel grip in different types of riding conditions. Along with this, the Gen 2 also gets two new ride modes: Eco X and Sonic X in addition to the already existing Eco, Ride, Air, and Sonic mode .

The Eco X mode analyses the rider’s throttle input, speed and riding environment to provide the best possible range, while the Sonic X puts the scooter in its maximum performance mode. It also gets two modes for the cruise control as well: Standard and Metro. The Standard mode works like a conventional cruise control, while the Metro mode can be used in city as it dynamically sets the cruise speed, and is claimed to be seamless even with constant braking and dead starts. The Simple Gen 2 comes with features like fall detection (Drop Safe), hill hold assist (Super Hold), park mode, hazard lamp activation while braking hard, limp home mode, speed limiter, crawl mode, and follow-me home lights. It gets a 35-litre underseat storage, a 1-litre apron mounted glove box and also a USB charger.

BikeDekho Says

While the introductory price is fairly lower, the terms and conditions for the same are yet to be revealed. For perspective, the Ather 450S starts from Rs 1,22,889, whereas the Ather 450X starts from Rs 1,50,046, and costs Rs 1,89,946 for the top-end Apex model (all prices ex-showroom Bengaluru). It is currently available in 61 plus showrooms across India, and can also be purchased online from Amazon and Flipkart.

Simple had launched the Gen 1.5 back in February last year. It’s fair to say that the company has used the past year to study market trends and user feedback, focusing on meaningful improvements rather than just a superficial facelift. That said, the real test will lie in how well the claimed features perform in everyday use, how widespread the sales and service availability turns out to be, and whether the real-world range matches expectations. These answers will only become clear with time and real-world ownership, not to mention once we get to ride the electric scooter soon. Both, the Simple One S and Simple One Gen 2 are available at your nearest Simple Energy dealership. 

Along with this, Simple Energy also unveiled the soon-to-be-launched Simple Ultra, which gets a massive segment-leading 6.5kWh battery pack, a claimed range of 400km, and can go from 0 to 40kmph in 2.77 seconds. Once launched, it will be the scooter with the highest claimed range in India. That said, Simple has mentioned about the IDC range in its disclaimer the following: “Declared IDC range figures are as per Internal testing standard conditions and Committed Range is dependent on various riding modes, actual performance figures may vary depending on various conditions including driving patterns, etc”. So only a real-world test will give us a fair idea on how capable the e-scooter is. That said, considering the battery capacity, we expect it to be pretty impressive nonetheless.