Tackling range anxiety with a 240 km per charge EV

Range anxiety is every electric vehicle user’s default first thought. But what if an e-scooter lets you banish that fear over the battery running out, with a range exceeding 200 km?

This is precisely what Bengaluru-based mobility startup Simple Energy wants to do with its e-scooter, launching this June.

Founded in 2019 by Suhas Rajkumar with a background in design and robotics and Shreshth Mishra, Simple Energy had rolled out a prototype Mark-1 of the e-scooter last year. “The Mark-2, with 240 km range for a single charge, 0-50 kmph speed in 3.6 seconds, removable battery and a sim-enabled 7” touchscreen dashboard, will be made in our first factory in Whitefield,” Suhas told DH.

Tackling the range problem was critical in a market dominated by Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)-driven vehicles. Charging infrastructure, even in Bengaluru, with its growing number of EVs is far from inspiring confidence among e-scooterists. “Typically, ICE vehicles have ranges of 230-240 km. We had to innovate to appeal to this market habituated to this range.”

The targeted innovation meant Simple Energy had to build better thermal systems, power trains, battery packs, motors and motor controllers, all inhouse.

“The initial manufacturing will be in Whitefield, producing about 10,000 e-scooters in the first batch. Our battery assembly will be completely automated,” Suhas informed.

The one-and-half-year-old company has proposed to set up a bigger factory later in Hosur with an estimated investment of Rs 130 crore. Another Bengaluru-headquartered firm, Ather Energy has already started production from its Hosur factory, while Ola is setting up the largest two-wheeler factory near Krishnagiri.

The nascent e-scooter market is getting populated fast. But as the competition heats up, range, styling, comfort and performance could become critical. “Many players offer e-scooters in the 50 to 60 km range. Their batteries go out in two to three years and the build quality is poor. We had to make the e-scooter serviceable. We are planning our own service vans and a strong supply chain.”

To boost the charging infrastructure, Simple Energy has proposed to deploy its Matrix chargers across Bengaluru, its first market for the Mark-2. “The EV will be charged in 1.5 hours for a 240 km range, and in 40 minutes for an 80 km range.”