Electric scooters have come a long way in India. From being just utility vehicles that used to cover small distances to gradually becoming the prime mode of transport for many people, sadly, the journey for these eco-friendly machines has not been a great one so far. This can be seen in their sales numbers which arent very encouraging at this point of time in India. Two prime reasons being, the nascent stage of charging infrastructure in India and the range anxiety.
However, multiple EV brands entered the Indian market in the last few years to change the perception of the customers and one such brand is Gemopai electric – a joint venture between one of China’s biggest electric two-wheeler makers – Opai electric and Delhi-based Goreen E-mobility. Under the guardianship of Opai that has over 15 years of experience in selling electric two-wheelers with over 15 million-plus units sold, Gemopai currently has two electric scooters in its product portfolio. We recently spent two weeks with the company’s high-speed scooter Astrid Lite to see if it is practical and if an electric scooter is easy to live with!
Gemopai Astrid Lite – Design and Features
Before getting to the heart of the matter, first, let’s have a look at the appearance of this scooter. Compared to a conventional IC engined scooter, this one looks significantly smaller, however, the intent has been to make it look sporty and it clearly shows. The front end of the scooter gets twin LED headlamps with bumblebee like shape. While the said units do not light up the road ahead in an impressive way, it certainly serves the purpose. The tail lamp too is a sharper looking unit that gets a white DRL at the top that can be seen from a distance.
The electric scooter gets an all-digital instrument cluster with readouts for trip, odometer, speed and the remaining battery charge. However, we wish that the company should have also added a percentage readout to show the exact level of the remaining charge. The scooter gets two storage pockets upfront along with a USB charger in which you can keep stuff like your mobile phone, wallet, etc handy. The under-seat storage is also generous that can accommodate a half-face helmet or even an additional battery.
Gemopai Astrid Lite – Performance, range and top speed
Gemopai Astrid Lite gets a 1.7 kW lithium-ion battery mated to a 2,400W electric motor. The e-scooter comes with three riding modes namely Eco, City and Sport that can be toggled with the help of a switch on the right. The company claims a top speed of 65kmph and interestingly, the scooter achieved a speedo indicated top speed of 70kmph.
Noida to Murthal trip on Gemopai Astrid Lite electric scooter, watch video here:
The scooter offers brisk acceleration and speeds of up to 45 kmph are achieved quite easily. In Eco mode, the scooter managed to reach a top speed of 34 kmph while in City, it did 45 kmph and in Sport mode, it maxed out at 70 kmph. The best part about the battery performance is that even with almost 30 percent of the charge left, the scooter is able to run at speeds of close to 60 kmph and hence, doesn’t essentially dies with the decreasing charge.
For this reason, in order to get optimum performance most of the time, we advise you to charge the scooter every 60 to 65 km. Now coming to the range, the scooter offered a range of 87 km during our test runs while riding in Sport mode throughout. This is in sync with the company’s claimed figure of 75 to 90 km per single full charge.
Gemopai Astrid Lite – Charging
The battery of the e-scooter can be charged in two ways, either by directly connecting the charging cord to the scooter. The battery of the scooter is also detachable and hence, you can take it out and charge it at your convenience. The company offers a standard AC charger with the scooter that takes close to 5 hours to charge the battery from 0 to 100 percent.
In order to take out the battery, you will have to open the under-seat storage and remove the lid underneath. The orientation of the battery has to be vertical for it to fit in the case and hence, you first need to slot it in horizontally and then slide it for it to rest vertically. That said, taking the battery out to charge and fit it again in the scooter can be a task at times.
Gemopai Astrid Lite – Riding Dynamics
Now, you cant expect an electric scooter of this price point to have great riding dynamics as the focus is on other areas. That said, you cant expect the Astrid Lite to corner like a charm but nonetheless, you won’t have any complaints while tipping the scooter from one end to another on turns. Braking is taken care of with the help of a disc brake up front along with a rear drum brake. The front set up offers fantastic feedback and bite but a CBS (Combined Braking System) should have been a part of the package for better safety.
Gemopai Astrid Lite – Price in India and Verdict
Gemopai Astrid Lite is currently priced at Rs 79,999 and is a value for money offering. If range anxiety is something that really concerns you, you can also buy an additional battery at a price of Rs 35,000. The company is quite aggressive in its expansion plans at present and is aiming 200 dealerships across India in the months to come. Gemopai also aims at offering the best after-sales support to its customers and claims to troubleshoot every kind of problem in under 24 hours once a scooter comes to the service center.
Electric scooters might become a prime talking point while buying a two-wheeler in India in the years to come and hence, reliability has to be one area where EV makers can’t go wrong. Gemopai looks quite serious in this aspect and is betting big on its plans for India. Now, to sum it up, Gemopai Astrid Lite offers a promising performance and offers enough features at this price point. So, if you are planning to invest Rs 80,000 in an electric scooter, this one is definitely worth a look!
