Eco-friendly mode, ON!

The urgent energy crisis and ongoing change in climate have shaken the entire world. Switching to efficient and renewable sources of energy and curbing the greenhouse gas emission is of utmost importance at present. With India planning to replace a significant portion of its conventional internal combustion engine fleet by electric vehicles in the next one decade, particularly to reduce pollution and also to create jobs through the manufacturing of such vehicles, every major automobile brand is moving towards electric mobility. Continuing this trend, Gemopai, a joint venture between Goreen E-Mobility and Opai Electric, has recently introduced its all-new electric scooter Astrid Lite. We recently got a chance to ride to put this e-scooter to the test on Indian roads, so does it ticks all the right boxes? Let's find out?

Design
At first glance, the Astrid does look sharp and edgy, thanks to its twin-headlight setup at the front. With its sporty design, I think it is the best looking electric scooter available in the market. Overall it’s a light and a compact e-scooter. Keeping the buyer’s taste in mind, the new Astrid Lite is available in five different colours. Now, onto the scooter itself. Unlike its competitors, it doesn't take long to understand that Astrid's ergonomics are in line with those of the most conventional scooters in our market — you don't sit too low, the floorboard isn't too high and the handlebar doesn't come in contact with your knees. It gets a decent amount of under-seat storage, but you still won't be able to fit a helmet in there because of the battery pack underneath. The other features include; a 12-inch alloy with hydraulic suspension, Cobm digital speedometer, LEDs with day time running light and a USB port that helps you charge your phone while driving. Astrid Lite also comes with a range of safety features with a side-stand sensor, anti-theft sensor and EABS (Electronic Assist Brake System) for more effective power brakes.

Powertrain
The new Astrid Lite is powered by a removable lithium-ion battery of 1.7 KW and it has a company claim power of 2400W which at its peak performs at 4000W. These power figures provide a rather impressive pickup, which, is rarely a sight when it comes to electric vehicles. The battery weighs around 8.5 kg, which makes your life a little easier as you can easily take it out and charge while you are at, or at home sleeping — it only takes four to five hours to fully charge.

Performance
The new Astrid Lite is available with three drive modes; sports, city and economy which provide a real-world range of 75 kms to 90kms and which can be doubled with an extra battery.

In Sports mode, as the name suggests, it generates more power to the scooter, reaching maximum speeds of 65km/hour. The City mode is for riders looking for ride quality as they spend their day on the city roads and traffic, while The Economy Mode promises efficiency and maximum range, over 90 Kms in a charge, but it significantly drops the speed which might get irritating sometimes. What really impressed us was how this e-scooter would zip away from the earlier in city traffic, and even with a pillion rider, there is no substantial loss of power.

Verdict
The Astride is the best that Gemopai has to offer at the moment. That said, the range and performance are really what we consider sufficient levels for it to qualify as a viable replacement for a conventional ICE scooter. At `79,999, the Astride is almost on par with today's crop of rather impressive 125cc scooters. With decent power terrain, it does become a viable option for those who are looking for a decent, stylish and eco-friendly two-wheeler. So if you are planning to save the environment and buying an electric scooter, the Gemopai Astride lite is something that you should look definitely for.