Q1. Why there is no standardized one sized battery for eScooters or eCars?

A1. Batteries of all voltage & Ah are easily available or can be custom-made in open market so it is not a big problem. So there is no need for a uniform model of battery.

In ICE vehicles also the size of the fuel tank of each model is different. In EVs you can use bigger or smaller pack than that given by the Company. That is something that cannot be done in ICE vehicles… at least not as easily.

Q2. Is Simple faking Ather bike or Fake Bike? It had Ather’s registration number & its specs were changed just before launch

A2. Simple is a reverse-engineered Ather scooter… just like that crap Honda UGo eScooter. Unlike Honda the team at Simple have been able to provide a better DEMO-Vehicle, better VISION & a better BUSINESS-PLAN THAN both ATHER, HONDA or ANY other vehicle maker in India including Tata, Mahindra, Ather, HeroElectric, HeroMotors, PureEV, Ampere, etc.

The fact that they are able to…

visualize 1million units speaks volumes of their vision. Ather in comparison is unable to sell 2,000 vehicles a month even after good funding, 5yrs of selling and 10 yrs of building the 1^st vehicle.

Q2a. Simple changed its specs just before launch

A2.a Yes it can do it… because it is easy to do it in EV world and impossible to do in ICE world. Ather already upped its specs 4 times in 5 yrs.

Eg

• Ather 340,
• Ather 450,
• Ather450Plus,
• Ather 450X

Whether Simple can accomplish their dream… only time can tell. What Simple has done with One is very commendable… they have identified the problems of Ather and reduced its cost (lower cost frame, no-subscription, removable battery ) and increased its use-ability.

Many times companies like Mahindra buy companies like Reva only to shut it down. So funding can be a double-edged sword.

Since Simple is in Bangalore funding will be easier… than anywhere else in India… because a lot of dumb companies have got a lot of funding from Banglore VCs and Simple is an UNICORN in the making  … there is no doubt they can deliver… only question is whether they will be “blackshelved” aka invested-into to be shut down… just like Tork which was the most promising Indian vehicle and was expected to launch even before Ather has gone completely silent… Another company that has gone silent is Emflux Motors who was last seen making face shields for Covid-19.

The truth is Simple can survive without funding because they just need to sell 1,000 vehicles a month… without taking huge debt to make a good profit. Ather too in spite of its huge investment is barely touching 1,000 sales per month countrywide. 1,000 vehicles sold at Rs 100,000 = Rs 10,00,00,000/- or 10 Crore business per month and a 120Cr business/yr. The above number is great!… especially if you are selling in JUST one state of India.  In comparison Ather’s 1,000 sales per month is in spite being in top 10 Cities of India and having moved to another 10 to 15 states. This can be easily achieved in a small sized assembly plant because … lets be honest…. after all the vehicle will be assembled from different components just like how a computer was initially made by Steve Wozniak & Steve Jobs. As the orders increase the manpower and the inventory can be increased and it need not be done with a lot of machinery and robots… and by that time there will be banks and VCs lining up to invest in the business and to take it to IPO.

Q3. Ampere vs Ola

A3. It is very easy dilemma to solve… they…  Ampere & Ola are not competitors… yet because Ampere has removable battery and Ola comes with a fixed battery…

Ather & Ola are competitors… because of FIXED BATTERY… If you can get written permission (from building management committee) to install charging station in your parking area of your building or if you live in a Villa/Bungalow/Rowhouse… the best option is Ola. For those who cannot get permission to install charging point/station at your parking spot the only option is those with Removable Battery scooter like Ampere, Revolt & PureEV… These 3 have the best range to price ratio.

Q3a Battery is expensive?

A3a

i) Not at all if you calculate how much people are paying for petrol. The irony is that this comment is made by petrol heads who indeed spend a lot on petrol. In 7 yrs you will be paying more than Rs 100,000 for petrol… unless of course you travel very little. Usually people tend to reduce their travel to the minimum because of the petrol price which increases every year and doubles every 10 years.

ii) The battery bought after 7 yrs will last 10yrs and almost double your range because it will be better and next-generation battery… mostly a Sodium-Ion instead of the existing Lithium based battery.

iii) The cost of battery in comparison to range between Ola & Ampere is same… the cost of Ampere battery is lower only because of the lower range.

iv) You will need to charge Ola fewer times than Ampere because of longer range and thus have longer lifecycle. So in the end there is no real price benefit between both… Only difference is CONVENIENCE… is it convenient to charge it… at home or in the parking?

Q4 Li-Ion vs Li-Phosphate Battery technology …

Li-Phosphate is the safest of the Lithium battery packs… it smokes but doesn’t explode or catch fire… you must have heard of cellphones exploding & Tesla cars catching fire… it is because a Lithium-ion battery characteristic… if temperature increases beyond a point or water leaks in… it catches fire.

Q5 FAME2 Subsidy BullSHIT

A5. Forget about FAME2… its something you will not get … it is claimed by the company.. so why will they pass it to you? Unless there is some govt authority like RBI to audit it and force the company to pass it to you? Some companies reduce the price of vehicle by Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000 to give themselves the Mother-Theresa-Charity feel.

Q6 Simple One Service & Maintenance

A6. EVs do not require any “service or maintenance”… buddy when was the last time you serviced your fan? In my house the front room fan is on 24hrs without rest… only time it gets rest when nobody is home. I only changed the capacitor & regulator once or twice in something like 20yrs… I am planning to upgrade to energy efficient BLDCFan shortly

This Service & Maintenance is not required at all … especially the periodic 5k & 10K service is NOT AT ALL REQUIRED. Maybe once a year the “service” can be done… more to retrieve the data from your scooter and to tighten the loose screws and wires  than anything else. Of course the guys who come to do the servicing will be smart enough to sell you “EXTRA services” like providing rubber mats,  pressure washing the scooter, scooter decals, seat cover, under body LED lights etc.

Q7. 200kms range

A7. If you are riding beyond 50kms daily it is better to buy a CNG or Electric car. It will be more comfortable, safer, carry more of your family & stuff. Travelling in AC and listening to music/radio is much better than getting sprayed with diesel fumes on a scooter. Tigor at 10Lakhs is cheaper than Alto at Rs 3Lakhs if you add up the cost of fuel consumed & cost of maintenance in just 7years. Every year people spend Rs 1Lakh for fuel at the rate of Rs2,000/week. CNG cars are as cheap as petrol motorcycles… EV is even cheaper… especially if you charge from home… only problem is car will need a bigger parking spot.

Q8 eSCooter battery life… Is it possible to have 10Yrs of battery life?

1. Most top EV maker eScooter batteries are expected to perform last up to 5years.

2. Even if they face problems before that it will be because of a couple of cells in a hundred. So it is easy to check the voltage of each rack and locate the weak cell easily & replace them.

3 eScooters are not recommendable for ranges below 10km daily usage…. because:

a) The initial investment is huge

b) due to their 5yr battery life… you can use it beyond 5yrs like upto 7yrs but its performance will become unpredictable like your old laptop or cellphone.

c) So if you dont ride longer you can still buy the eScooter because it is a joy to ride, quiter, vibration-free, cleaner and easy than any vehicle. But dont buy it because it is cheaper. Eg if you ride less than 10kms daily you will need just Rs100/week of petrol. This adds up to Rs5,000/yr and you would have bought this ICE scooter at Rs 20,000 second hand.

There is no way any NEW EV can beat this price.Nor will you EVER get 10yr battery life … if you manage to get it consider yourself REALLY LUCKY… if it was possible… even in controlled lab environments… the battery companies would have claimed it.