Okinawa Electric Scooters Open Bookings For The Praise

Earlier this year, Okinawa Electric Scooters launched the Okinawa Ridge, their first product for the Indian market. Now, the Rajasthan-based electric scooter manufacturer has teased its upcoming model called the Praise. The all-new scooter is scheduled to launch next month and the company’s dealerships across the country have begun accepting bookings for a token amount of Rs 2000. The Praise will be the company’s flagship product and will offer a range which is higher than any electric scooter out there. If that wasn’t enough, the manufacturer says it will also be the fastest e-scooter you can buy with a top speed in 60kmph.

From the teaser image, it is quite evident that the Praise would be one of the most sportiest looking electric scooters out there. The company claims that the Praise looks like the scooter of the future! The e-scooter is likely to feature LED headlamps with LED DRLs. With its wide V-shape, the headlamps resembles the one seen on the recently launched Honda Grazia. When compared to the Ridge, the Praise is likely to get gold-coloured front forks with longer travel and larger 14-inch wheels for a more stable and comfortable ride. Currently, only the Aprilia SR150 offers a 14-inch front wheel. Other features that are likely to make its way to the Praise include a side stand indicator, an anti-theft sensor and combi brakes.

When launched, the Praise will compete with e-scooters such as the Hero Photon and the Hero Nyx. Expect it to be priced around the Rs 50,000 mark to make it affordable for the masses and stand by the company’s policy of reaching out to the market.

Okinawa Electric Scooters is a recent entrant in the Indian two-wheeler industry. It started operations in 2015 and has two manufacturing facilities in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. The Ridge, which was launched in January this year, ticked all the right boxes for an e-scooter. It offers a top speed of 55kmph, which is pretty impressive as other e-scooter in the market struggle to get past the 45kmph mark. The Ridge is powered by lead-acid batteries that takes around four to six hours to charge completely. However, buyers can also choose the patented optional fast charger with a microprocessor that gets the job done in one to two hours. On a full charge, the Ridge has a claimed range of 80-90km. Other e-scooters in the market only offer 50-60km range on a full charge. The Ridge is priced at Rs 43,702 (ex-showroom).

A homegrown e-scooter manufacturer announcing the launch of its second product within a year is a sign of good things to come in the Indian two-wheeler industry. However, the fact that we still lack the required infrastructure to support EVs is disheartening. But with the government making a push for electric vehicles and manufacturers upping the ante by hastening research and development in the field of electric mobility, expect such emission-less vehicles to become more popular in the coming years.

Meanwhile, stay tuned to this space for more news and updates on the Okinawa Praise.