Ola To Launch Electric Scooter, AppScooter, In India Next Year

• The AppScooter looks like a Dutch cousin of the Vespa.
• It is powered by a 3kW brushless AC motor that produces 50Nm.
• Gets 3 removable batteries with a total charge capacity of 3.46kWh.
• Ola Electric plans to launch this scooter in 2021.

Ola Electric has just announced that it has purchased Dutch electric brand, Etergo, and will be launching a new electric scooter in India: the AppScooter. This marks the entry of the ride-sharing brand into the electric two-wheeler space. The AppScooter will be a premium electric scooter, aiming to go toe to toe with the Ather 450X, Bajaj Chetak and the TVS iQube Electric.

Etergo is a Dutch firm based out of Amsterdam that first showcased its creation in 2018. With this acquisition, the company will finally receive the much needed financial aid that it needed to produce the AppScooter. It does remind you a bit of the Vespa, though it is not as blatant a copy as certain Chinese products shown last year.

It is loaded to the brim with connected features like navigation, geo-fencing and smartphone pairing. The large 7-inch touchscreen interface allows you to control your incoming calls and music. But just in case you want to stay cautious and not let go of the handlebar to adjust something, there are switches provided for the operation as well.

The AppScooter is powered by a 3kW brushless AC motor. Peak performance is rated at 6kW and 50Nm, helping the scooter achieve a 0-45kmph acceleration timing of 3.9 seconds. The Ather 450 that we've tested takes the same amount of time to reach 40kmph. So, the AppScooter is pretty quick!

It also gets three modular removable batteries, each with a charge capacity of 1.155kWh. These batteries have high energy densities, each capable of going 80km on a single charge. That means the claimed range is close to 240km, which is certainly higher than any electric scooter currently sold in India.

In terms of mechanicals, the AppScooter uses a single-sided telescopic shock and a monoshock unit. You get disc brakes at both ends. It runs on 12-inch wheels, which is pretty much the new standard setup for scooters in India.

The scooter will initially go on sale in Europe and will then be followed up by a launch in India. Ola Electric aims to launch the scooter by 2021.