After a couple of false starts, electric vehicle (EV) start-up Simple Energy has announced it is finally ready to commence deliveries of its much-awaited electric scooter, the Simple One. Deliveries will commence from June 6, though the scooter will initially only be available in Bengaluru. However, the scooter -- which debuted back in August 2021 -- won't be available at the price specified back then. The Simple One now costs Rs 1.45 lakh (ex-showroom), about Rs 35,000 more than the price advertised when the firm opened bookings in 2021.
Also read: Simple Energy Commences Roll Out Of Customer Units Of One e-Scooter
"This is the updated price, and yes, this will be applicable for all vehicles that have even been pre-booked", said Simple Energy co-founder Shreshth Mishra in response to carandbike's query, confirming there will be no form of price protection for customers who have booked the scooter at the time of its unveil in 2021. It is also worth noting that with the recent government decision to slash FAME-II subsidies, these prices may further increase in the future.
Also read: Simple Energy Inaugurates Simple Vision 1.0 Manufacturing Plant In Tamil Nadu
The updated price doesn't include the cost of the 750-watt charger, which will cost an additional Rs 13,000 and will only be available September onwards. Two new dual-tone colour schemes have also been revealed, which will add a further Rs 5,000 to the scooter's price. Ankit Gupta, co-founder at Simple Energy, confirmed to carandbike that as standard, the scooter will ship with a 250-watt charger, which is expected to push charge times to well over 15 hours.
The Simple One continues with a dual-battery setup, with one being a fixed pack and the other being a removable pack. However, total installed battery capacity has risen from 4.8 kWh to 5 kWh. Interestingly, despite the increase in battery capacity, the Simple One's range has seen a downward revision to 212 kilometres, with the originally announced figure being 236 km (IDC). This, as per Simple, has happened due to an increase in the scooter's weight -- the production model weighs 134 kg, which is higher than a few of its competitors.
Also read: Simple ONE First Ride Review
What's also notable is that the company had previously announced it will give customers the option to purchase a third battery pack, for an additional price of Rs 35,000. However, there is no mention of this option being extended to customers now.
What hasn't changed is the Simple One's motor, which has been developed fully in-house. It puts out a peak 8.5 kW and 72 Nm of torque, and blesses the scooter with a 0-40 kph acceleration time of 2.77 seconds.
Using the 750-watt charger, customers will be able to charge the One to 80 per cent in roughly six hours. The fixed battery pack takes under four hours to reach that mark, while the smaller, removable battery takes about two hours to attain 80 per cent charge. Public fast-charging will enable the Simple One to regain 1.5 km of range for every minute of charge, and this network will go live in August, as per Simple.
