OKINAWA LITE Road Test Review

The moment I set my eyes upon the Lite electric scooter, I knew they had a winner in hands. Among the electric scooters available in the country today, this one stands out as an extreme good looker.  But how is it as an overall package? For that I had to take a closer look at the vehicle and get to know as much as possible about it. These are my first impressions.

From the looks of it, this one is the ideal “Gully Boy”.   It’s an electric two wheeler to complete all your short distance chores, like dropping your kid to the nearby school, buying your grocery, getting into a congested marketplace to buy your home stuff, etc. Since it claims to have a top speed of 25kmph, though it did move beyond 30kmph when even two people were sitting on it, this e-scooter does not require a license to ride, no registration and it is not mandatory to wear a helmet while riding this. But we do recommend that you wear a helmet if you are taking it on the streets for a ride.

Exteriors

The Lite looks impressive and is definitely a crowd puller. “Cute” is the first word that comes to your mind when you see this e-scooter for the first time. The front looks neat and stylish with its LED projector lamp and DRLs while at the rear we have LED with defogger lights. The speedometer looks modern but the dark tinge to it makes it a bit difficult to read the digital figures during the day. It has stylish aluminium alloy wheels with disc brakes in front and drum at the rear. The e-scooter comes with tubeless tyres.

With a length of 1790mm, width of 710mm and a height of 1190 mm, this vehicle can pull two people with a total loading capacity of 150kgs. The seat height is 740mm.

The floor mat has a hard mat design which looks good. The vehicle is powered by a 1.25KwH lithium-ion battery which is detachable with an anti-theft mechanism. You cannot take out the battery unless you slot the key in and twist it to release the battery. The Lite has a 250 watt BLDC motor which is waterproof. The vehicle runs on 48V. The e-scooter can achieve a top speed of 25kmph and its battery has a range of 60km per charge in ideal conditions.  The battery takes around 4 to 5 hours to be fully charged.  Since the batteries are detachable, one can take it out and charge it at your convenience. It can also be charged the conventional way where you plug the e-scooter directly to the wall socket through the charger. The charger comes with a round pin plug of 10 amps. The boot area has storage of 17 litres.

To take out the battery, one needs to long press the key fob on the open sign button. The seat pops open and you can dig in and take out the battery smartly with the key. But when you have to fix the battery back after charging, you need use the key manually, because without the battery the remote key is useless. There is a key slot tucked away at the bottom of the scooter which you need to click in order to open the seat.

The e-scooter comes with an electronic assisted braking system with regenerative braking.  It has telescopic suspension in front and dual tube spring type hydraulic shockers at the back.

The e-scooter has push type pillion foot rest and this functions with great ease, provided you are gentle with it while closing it. If you push back the foot rest with great speed, it simply comes back. A gentle movement ensures that the foot rest is folded and back in its original position. The e-scooter has a tucked away hook in front where you can hook on your shopping bags. It also comes with a USB slot where you can charge your mobile phone. Interestingly, you also have a cavity where you can store your mobile phone while it is being charged. The mobile charger comes with auto cut.

Other features provided in the e-scooter include auto handle lock and hazard function.

Since this e-scooter goes by the name “Lite”, I found its build very light. It is kind of flimsy and plastic all around, though it’s quite stylish.  One thing I found very annoying were the side mirrors. Since they are fitted with the help of two nuts which are tightened in two different directions, it was simply coming off lose. So my advice is that you always travel with two relevant pairs of spanners or pliers or else you can find the mirrors swinging away irritatingly.

Ride and performance

Okay, here is where the fun begins. The moment you unlock the e-scooter with the help of the remote key, you need to keep the key in your pocket and press the start button. This is very much like a modern car. The digital speedometer lights up and all you need to do is to use the throttle to push your way through the gully. It does not begin its journey like a rocket, but yes, it has a sedate start and picks up speed depending upon the load and the incline of the road.

The Okinawa Lite is obviously not meant for the highways, but short distances. This is an ideal vehicle to run in campuses and gated institutions and even for those small errands one has to deal with every now and then. At a price of around Rs 60,000 it is kind of affordable. But then, it is a practical electric scooter. I would call it a handsome gully boy!

The Lite comes with a 3 years warranty or 30,000 kms whichever comes first. This essentially covers the lithium-ion battery.