Q.Lohia OMA Star Li- Detailed Review

Electric propulsion is still at a nascent stage, particularly in India as the range of the vehicles are not on par with internal combustion-engined counterparts and the prohibitive cost of batteries. However, there are a number of electric scooters offered by various manufacturers for local commute and Lohia Auto’s OMA Star Li is one of the latest entrants in the segment. I used this scooter for my work-home commute and here’s what I have to say: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n23683[/ATTACH] [B]Design and Features:[/B] The design language of the OMA Star Li pretty much follows the traditional lines of a scooter. The front apron sports wedge-shaped parking light on both sides joined at the bottom by a band of chrome. The headlamp is a handlebar-mounted unit, which allows for more flexibility when it comes to illuminating corners. The instrument console is all-digital, showing speed, battery temperature, odometer reading and battery-level indicator. The cluster also houses telltale lights like the high-beam and indicator lights. What’s really unnecessary are the illuminated ‘Lohia’ and ‘Omastar’ logo. Another weirdly redundant feature is the twin horn button (one on each side of the handlebar). What it doesn’t get is a battery charge indicator button. Lohia could’ve ignored the need for two horn buttons and the logo illumination and could’ve used the cost to provide a simple LED light that could show the charging status of the battery. However, there is a red LED light on the adapter which shows whether the power is on or not. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n23684[/ATTACH] The nicely contoured and cushioned seat ends with a large rear grab rail which is comfortable to hold. The wheels are alloys and the front one is mounted on telescopic forks and the rear on twin hydraulic coil-type shocks. The overall design is nicely done and it can easily pass off as a normal scooter until you see the words ‘I DON’T POLLUTE’ on the rear licence plate. The build quality, however, needs a lot of work, particularly for a half lakh rupee scooter! And oh, you don’t need a licence to ride this vehicle as the claimed top speed is less than 25 kph and the power of the motor is also less than 250W, thus falling under the exemption category. [ATTACH=CONFIG]n23685[/ATTACH] [B]The Ride:[/B] The scooter is propelled by a 48V brushless DC hub motor, powered by a 20Ah lithium-ion battery. The advantage of a brushless motor is that it has fewer moving parts, lasts much longer and is more reliable when compared to the traditional brushed counterpart. Lithium-ion battery is better than a conventional lead acid battery because it has a better charge capacity, can be charged quicker, is lighter in weight and has a better cycle count as well. The hub motor is enclosed within the wheel: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n23686[/ATTACH] The claimed range is 60km but my colleague [USER="589"]maheshy1[/USER] managed to do a whopping 72km before he ran out of juice! I managed to do around 40km with four out of six battery bars down and luckily, I found a suitable plug point to charge the battery. The scooter is capable of hitting an indicated top speed of 35 kph (as opposed to the spec sheet that says <25 kph under standard test conditions with a single rider) on a levelled road and the acceleration is pretty linear - don’t expect an electrifying pull because the scooter itself is 66 kg and the motor has to carry the heft of the rider as well. But the good thing is that the rolling resistance is minimal and one can glide over short distances by letting go of the throttle thereby conserving juice. The scooter is built for commuting and it carries its duty without fuss. One thing I noted is the battery indicator is also throttle sensitive as it goes down a bar or two depending upon the terrain. Once it stabilises, the battery level is back to normal. Overall, the OMA Star Li is an ideal alternative for a bicycle as it can sustain 30+ kph consistently and can also carry a lot of knick knacks under the seat, but more on that later. In fact, it is a good alternative to even a conventional scooter if your commute is short. [B]Usability and Ride Quality:[/B] The combination of a well-balanced chassis and almost bicycle-like turning radius make the OMA Star Li delightfully effortless to zip through traffic. The scooter is reasonably practical as well as there is a hook and an apron-mounted lockable storage box, apart from the generous underseat storage. Had there been a little more depth, it could’ve easily swallowed a large full-face helmet. The helmet fits well length and width-wise, though. Only the depth could’ve been slightly more. Nevertheless, the storage space isn’t something you’d complain about in this scooter. The battery is as close to the centre of gravity of the scooter as possible. Note the crude battery flip switch: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n23687[/ATTACH] Front storage box feels flimsy: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n23688[/ATTACH] The suspension is on the stiffer side, especially the telescopic forks. But the front and rear suspension work well together in smoothening out road undulations and aid handling. The spring in the centre-stand is weak and results in rattling noises while going over bumps. Telescopic forks and large wheels provide good stability: [ATTACH=CONFIG]n23689[/ATTACH] [B]Verdict:[/B] The OMA Star Li is apt for making small trips like grocery runs, school/ tuition commutes, etc. It is ideal if your travel destination is within 15-20 km radius from home and at 10 paise per km, the running cost is almost negligible. It’s even better if you can charge it at the workplace and then take the scooter back home. That way, you can save up on charging costs too! But for INR 50,000 (all-inclusive), this scooter is a tad too expensive, considering the build quality and it’ll take a long time before you break-even your investment but that’s the price you pay for going green. P.S. More pictures will be attached in the post below.