Earth Energy EV Glyde Electric Scooter: First Ride Review

The electric two-wheeler segment in India is continuously expanding with newer and newer players entering the market every year. In 2021 alone we saw the entry of electric scooters like - Ola S1, Bounce Infinity E1, and Simple One. Along with these we also saw the foray of Mumbai-based start-up Earth Energy EV into the electric two-wheeler segment. The company had announced that it will launch 3 new EVs in India, and now it's finally ready with its first product - the Glyde electric scooter. We recently got a chance to briefly test the scooter, and know what it is, and how it rides.

The Glyde range is offered in two options - a low-speed Glyde SX with a top speed of 25 kmph, and a high-speed Glyde SX+, which can go up to 90 kmph. Both are electronically limited. Also, the former doesn't require a driving licence or registration to ply on Indian roads. The scooters are manufactured locally at Earth Energy EV's production facility in Vasai, Mumbai, and the company says it was able to achieve 98 per cent of localisation with the Glyde range. In fact, the only parts that are imported are the battery cells and the LCD panel for the instrument cluster. While the cells for the SX+ come from South Korea, the display unit and the cells for the SX trims are imported from China. Everything else has been sourced locally in India.

The Glyde range is offered in two options - a low-speed Glyde SX, and a high-speed Glyde SX+

Design and Styling

Visually, you might not call the Glyde an attractive scooter in the conventional sense, however, spend some time with it and it will grow on you. The beefy front apron gets a busy design with bold sculpted lines and a large headlamp unit, which comes with halogen lights. However, when it comes to the build quality, we noticed several panel gaps and exposed wires, while plastic quality was also sub-par.

Also Read: Earth Energy EV Introduces 3 Electric Two-Wheelers In India

The beefy front apron gets a busy design with bold sculpted lines and the large headlamp unit

Having said that the models we rode were pre-production units and Earth Energy EV says the vehicles that will be delivered to customers will have better finishing, however, the plastic quality won't change. The scooter also gets motorcycle-style indicators upfront, while at the rear the indicators are integrated into the taillight assembly.

The scooter comes with 18-litre of under-seat storage capacity, which is decent in size, but you won't be able to fit a full-size helmet here

The Gylde SX range also comes with a wide seat with nice and supple cushioning, along with a sold grabrail at the back. The scooter comes with 18-litre of under-seat storage capacity, which is decent in size, and while some groceries, a small handbag or a half-face helmet might not be a problem, you won't be able to fit a full-size helmet here. Believe us, we tried. Also, there's no under-seat light either. The mirrors are also a tad bit small, but they can be adjusted to get a decent view.

Also Read: Earth Energy EV Receives Annual Demand For Over 37,000 Units From Distributors

The Gylde also comes with a wide seat with nice and supple cushioning, along with a sold grabrail at the back

Features and Equipment

In terms of the features, the scooter comes with a vertically positioned 5-inch LCD instrument display, however, here too we could see that finishing wasn't proper. The panels were slightly miss-aligned on these test bikes. having said that the display itself is quite decent and offers a host of information like speed, range, riding mode, temperature, battery health and more. You also get a dark mode option along with Bluetooth connectivity, which allows you to pair your phone for notifications and turn-by-turn navigation. All these functions are controlled using the right-side switchgear. Also, for safety purposes, the menus can only be accessed when the scooter is in a stationary position, and the kill switch is engaged.

The 5-inch display offers a host of information like speed, range, riding mode, temperature, battery health and more There is also a dark mode

The scooter also comes with a reverse function, and to engage it all you need to do is long press the starter button. Once the reverse gear is engaged you it will be shown on the display, along with a beeping noise. Single press the power button once more to disengage the reverse mode. The left switchgear has the standard buttons for pass light, high- & low-beam, indicators, and horn.

The Glyde SX range comes with a reverse function, smart switch-gear, 12-inch wheels, and disc brakes

Suspension duties are handled by telescopic front forks and dual spring-loaded shock-absorbers at the back. Earth Energy also offers a 12-inch alloy wheel up front and a 12-inch steel wheel at the back both shod in 90/90 sector tubeless tyres. The Glyde scooters also come with disc brakes at both ends.

Battery and Charging Option

Both the Glyde SX and the SX+ comes with a 3.9 kWh Lithium-Ion battery which is placed inside the floorboard of the scooter. The usable battery capacity in both cases is around 3.75 kWh. The battery can be fully charged using a home charger, which is provided along with the scooter, from a conventional 10A power socket, in about 2.5 hours. Interestingly Earth Energy EV will also provide customers with a special RFID tag, which will be embedded inside the key fob. This RFID tag needs to be placed on the reader installed within the charging pod to activate the charger. The company says that this is to ensure only the vehicle owner can use the charger.

The battery can be fully charged using a home charger, from a conventional 10A power socket, in about 2.5 hours

Of course, the scooters also come with fast charging capability, which can provide 80 per cent juice in just 40 minutes. These fast chargers will be placed across Earth Energy EV's dealer touchpoints. The maximum range for the SX+ is rated at 100 km on a single charger, while the same for the SX goes up to 150 km. This is mainly because the latter's top speed is limited to 25 kmph. Furthermore, the SX+ comes with three riding modes - Eco, Ride and Pro, while the SX gets 2 - Eco and Pro. Official range figures for the different modes are yet to be shared.

The Glyde SX+ comes with three riding modes - Eco, Ride and Pro, while the SX gets 2 - Eco and Pro

Powertrain and Handling

The scooters are powered by a belt-driven electric motor that has been developed in-house. In the SX+, the electric motor offers an output of 4.2 kW, which in break-horsepower stands at nearly 6 bhp. The torque output, on the other hand, stands at a meaty 104 Nm, which is available right from the word go. At the slightest twist of the throttle, the scooter accelerates with urgency and attains double-digit speeds in no time. Given that we were testing the scooter in the controlled environment of the Raymond Test Track, we couldn't test the top-speed or 0 to 60 kmph numbers. So, we'll reserve those for our road test review.

The SX+ offers an output of 4.2 kW, which is nearly 6 bhp, while the torque output stands at a meaty 104 Nm

The scooter also offers great handling, and one reason for that is the floorboard-mounted battery pack which helps offer a low centre of gravity. So, the scooter feels planted even at higher speeds and imparts more confidence to push it around corners. The suspension is set slightly on the softer side, and on the tarmac test track the ride was quite comfortable, however, we would need to test the scooter in real-world conditions to give you a more accurate analysis of ride quality. The only gripe we have are with the brakes, they could certainly do with more bite and progression.

The the floorboard-mounted battery pack offers low centre of gravity, aiding in better handling

As for the SX, it gets a smaller motor which generates a peak power output of 250W, which is just about 0.34 bhp. However, the motor develops a good 74 Nm of peak torque, so the initial acceleration on this one is also quite impressive. In terms of handling, it's very similar to the SX+. While the Glyde SX+ weighs around 113 kg, the SX tips the scales at around 60 kg.

The SX gets a smaller motor, but it offers 74 Nm of peak torque, so the initial acceleration on this one is also quite impressive

Price and Verdict

Both the Glyde SX and the SX+ are quite capable scooters. Though they lack the pizazz and premiumness of rivals like the Ather 450X, TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak and even the Ola S1. However, the company says that was intentional. Earth Energy EV wants to sell it as a utilitarian scooter, which is why more than 60 per cent of the pre-bookings it has received are for the low-speed model.

The Glyde might lack the pizazz and premiumness of rivals, but that's by design because Earth Energy EV wants to position this as an utilitarian scooter

As of now, the Glyde SX and SX+ will be sold in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, and will expand to other regions in a phased manner. While the low-speed Glyde SX is priced in India at Rs. 74,000, the high-speed SX+ will cost you around Rs. 95,000 (both ex-showroom, Maharashtra). However, these are pre-subsidy prices. The company says that once the FAME 2 subsidies are applied, the SX+ could cost as low as Rs. 68,000 in Maharashtra, which will make it considerably cheaper than all its rivals. Deliveries for the scooter will commence from January 2022. So, if you are looking for an affordable, no-nonsense electric scooter for your city commute, then the Glyde is certainly worth considering.

Photos: Pawan Dagia