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Okinawa Scooters now have five lithium-ion models with battery capacities ranging from 1.25 kWh to 3.3 kWh
Okinawa Scooters which specializes in pure electric products has announced that it has discontinued its lead-acid battery pack based models. With this move, the company’s portfolio now consists of only products equipped with detachable lithium-ion battery packs.
Lead-Acid battery packs on the decline
With lithium-ion battery packs widely considered to be superior to lead-acid units in terms of performance, more and more customers are willing to make that extra investment. All modern day scooters which are getting launched now, are powered by the advanced lithium-ion battery packs.
Moreover, with the Indian government’s FAME-II subsidy covering only lithium-ion battery pack equipped scooters, their popularity rose sharply in the recent times. So, for a major e-scooter manufacturer like Okinawa, focusing on lithium-ion models is the right way to prepare for India’s upcoming EV boom.
Okinawa Electric Scooters kick started its operations four years ago with lead-acid models and has sold over 34,000 units of them. However, since the introduction of scooters with removable lithium-ion battery packs, the customer preference inclined towards the newer models so much so that the company has now decided to pull the plug on lead-acid batteries. Below are the Okinawa electric scooters which are now on offer from 1st Dec 2020, and their prices and range.
| Okinawa Scooters | Dec 2020 Price, Ex-sh | Range |
|---|---|---|
| R30 | 58,992 | 60 kms |
| Lite | 63,990 | 60 kms |
| Ridge+ | 73,417 | 84 kms |
| Praise Pro | 79,277 | 88 kms |
| iPraise+ | 1,08,728 | 139 kms |
The homegrown brand has sold over 74,000 scooters in the country so far and it aims to take this tally to 90,000 units by the end of this financial year. Speaking about the move to withdraw lead-acid battery based products, Jeetender Sharma, Founder and MD, Okinawa Scooters, stated that all future models from the brand will be equipped with detachable lithium-ion battery pack for convenient charging.
Current product portfolio
The company currently retails both high-speed and slow-speed models equipped with lithium-ion battery packs. The high-speed portfolio is composed of i-Praise+, Praise Pro and Ridge+ which are equipped with 3.3 kWh, 2.0 kWh and 1.74 kWh removable li-ion battery packs respectively.
The low-speed family which has a top-speed of 25 kmph and requires no license or registration consists of Lite and R30. The R30 gets a 1.34 kWh pack while the Lite features a 1.24 kWh unit. The high-speed range is eligible for the FAME-II subsidy.
With a range of 139 km on a full charge, the flagship Okinawa i-Praise+ emerges as a compelling proposition. The e-scooter gets LED headlamps and DRLs, USB charging port, smartphone connectivity, digital instrument console, regenerative braking and so on.
The stylish Okinawa i-Praise+ is priced at INR 1.09 lakh (Ex-showroom). It competes with the likes of TVS iQube, Ather 450 and Bajaj Chetak. We could see more and more electric scooter brands shifting from lead-acid to lithium-ion battery technology in the foreseeable future.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
