The electric two-wheeler segment in India is continuously expanding with new and new players entering the market every year. 2021 alone saw the entry of electric scooters like Ola S1, Bounce Infinity E1 and Simple One. Along with these, we also saw the entry of Earth Energy EV, a Mumbai-based start-up in the electric two-wheeler segment. The company had announced that it will be launching 3 new EVs in India, and now it is finally ready with its first product – the Glyde electric scooter. We recently got a chance to test the scooter briefly and get to know what it is, and how it drives.
The glide range is offered in two options – a low-speed Glide SX with a top speed of 25 kmph, and a high-speed Glide SX+, which can go up to 90 kmph. Both are electronically limited. Also, the former does not require a driving license or registration to drive on Indian roads. The scooters are locally manufactured at Earth Energy EV’s production facility in Vasai, Mumbai, and the company says that it was able to achieve 98 percent localization with the Glide range. In fact, the only parts that are imported are the battery cell and the LCD panel for the instrument cluster. While the cells for the SX+ come from South Korea, the cells for the display unit and SX trims are imported from China. Everything else is sourced locally in India.
The Glide range is offered in two options – a low-speed Glide SX, and a high-speed Glide SX+
Design & Styling
Visually speaking, you cannot call the Glide an attractive scooter in the traditional sense, however, spend some time with it and it will grow on you. The beefy front apron gets a busy design with bold sculpted lines and a large headlamp unit, which comes with halogen lights. However, when it comes to build quality, we noticed many panel gaps and exposed wires, while the plastic quality was also low.
Read also: Earth Energy EV launches 3 electric two-wheelers in India
The beefy front apron gets a busy design with bold sculpted lines and a large headlamp unit
Having said that the models we rode were pre-production units and Earth Energy EV says that the vehicles that will be delivered to the customers will have better finishing, however, the quality of the plastic will not change. The scooter also gets motorcycle-style indicators at the front, while the rear indicators are integrated into the taillight assembly.
The scooter comes with 18-litre under-seat storage capacity, which is decent in size, but you won’t be able to fit a full-sized helmet here.
The Gylde SX range also comes with a wide seat with nice and supple cushioning, as well as a soldable gable at the rear. The scooter comes with an 18-litre under-seat storage capacity, which is a good size, and while a few groceries, a small handbag or a half-face helmet might not be a problem, you won’t be able to fit perfectly – Size helmet here. Trust us, we tried. Also, there is no under-seat light. The mirrors are also a bit small, but they can be adjusted to get a good view.
Read also: Earth Energy EV receives annual demand for over 37,000 units from distributors
The Gylde also comes with a wide seat with nice and supple cushioning, as well as a sold grarel at the back.
Features and Equipment
In terms of features, the scooter is positioned vertically with a 5-inch LCD instrument display, however, here too we can see that the finishing was not proper. The panels on these test bikes were slightly mis-aligned. Having said that the display itself is quite good and provides information like speed, range, riding mode, temperature, battery health and more. You also get a dark mode option along with Bluetooth connectivity, so you can pair your phone for notifications and turn-by-turn navigation. All these functions are controlled using right-side switchgear. Also, for safety purposes, the menu can be accessed only when the scooter is in a stationary position, and the kill switch is engaged.
The 5-inch display provides information such as speed, range, riding mode, temperature, battery health and more. It also has a dark mode.
The scooter also comes with a reverse function, and you just need to long-press the starter button to engage it. Once you engage reverse gear it will be shown on the display with a beeping noise. To turn off Reverse Mode press the Power button once again. The left switchgear houses the standard buttons for the pass light, high- and low-beams, indicators and horns.
The Glyde SX range comes with reverse function, smart switch-gear, 12-inch wheels and disc brakes.
Suspension duties are handled by telescopic front forks and dual spring-loaded shock-absorbers at the rear. Earth Energy 90/90 sector tubeless tyres offer 12-inch alloy wheels both at the front and 12-inch steel wheels at the rear. Glide scooters also come with disc brakes at both the ends.
Battery and charging options
Both the Glyde SX and SX+ have a 3.9 kWh lithium-ion battery, which is housed inside the floorboard of the scooter. The usable battery capacity is around 3.75 kWh in both cases. The battery can be fully charged using the home charger, which is provided with the scooter in about 2.5 hours from a traditional 10A power socket. Interestingly, Earth Energy EV will also offer customers a special RFID tag, which will be embedded inside the key fob. This RFID tag needs to be mounted on a reader installed within the charging pod to activate the charger. The company says this is to ensure that only the vehicle owner can use the charger.
With a traditional 10A power socket, the battery can be fully charged in about 2.5 hours using a home charger
Of course, the scooters also come with fast charging capability, which can provide 80 percent juice in just 40 minutes. These fast chargers will be installed at the dealer touchpoints of Earth Energy EV. The maximum range for the SX+ has been fixed at 100km on a single charger, while it goes up to 150km for the SX. This is mainly because the top speed of the latter is limited to 25 kmph. Furthermore, the SX+ comes with three riding modes – Eco, Ride and Pro, while the SX gets 2 – Eco and Pro. The official range figures for the various modes are yet to be shared.
The Glyde SX+ comes with three riding modes – Eco, Ride and Pro, while the SX gets 2 – Eco and Pro.
Powertrain and Handling
The scooters are driven by a belt-driven electric motor that has been developed in-house. In the SX+, the electric motor produces 4.2 kW, which is around 6 bhp at break-horsepower. On the other hand, the torque output is 104 Nm, which is available from the word GO itself. With the slightest twist of the throttle, the scooter accelerates with urgency and attains double-digit speeds in no time. Given that we were testing the scooter in the controlled environment of the Raymond test track, we could not test the top-speed or the 0 to 60 kmph numbers. So, we’ll reserve them for our road test review.
The SX+ churns out 4.2 kW, which is around 6 bhp, while the torque output is 104 Nm.
The scooter also offers great handling, and one reason for this is the floorboard-mounted battery pack that helps it offer a low center of gravity. Hence, the scooter feels engaged even at high speeds and gives it more confidence to push it around corners. The suspension is set on the slightly softer side, and the ride was fairly comfortable on the tarmac test track, however, we’ll need to test the scooter in real-world conditions to give you a more accurate analysis of ride quality. The only gripe we have is with the brakes, they certainly could do with more bite and stride.
Floorboard-mounted battery pack has a low center of gravity, which aids in better handling
As for the SX, it gets a smaller motor that produces a peak power output of 250W, which is around 0.34 bhp. However, the motor develops a decent 74 Nm of peak torque, so the initial acceleration on it is pretty impressive as well. In terms of handling, it is very similar to the SX+. The Glyde SX+ weighs around 113 kg, while the SX weighs around 60 kg.
The SX gets a smaller motor, but it delivers 74 Nm of peak torque, so the initial acceleration is pretty impressive as well
Price and Verdict
Both the Glyde SX and SX+ are very capable scooters. However, they lack attractiveness and premiums like rivals like Ather 450X, TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak and even Ola S1. However, the company says that this was done intentionally. Earth Energy EV wants to sell it as a utilitarian scooter, which is why more than 60 per cent of the pre-bookings it has received are for the low-speed model.
The Glyde may lack the pizazz and premium of rivals, but that’s by design as the Earth Energy EV seeks to position it as a utilitarian scooter
| State-Wise Ex-Showroom Prices | glide sx | Glide SX+ |
|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra | ₹ 74,000 | ₹ 95,000 |
| Gujarat | ₹ 73,000 | ₹ 97,000 |
| Tamil Nadu | ₹ 78,000 | ₹ 1 lakh |
| Karnataka | ₹ 79,999 | ₹ 98,175 |
| Andhra Pradesh | ₹ 79,900 | ₹ 97,000 |
| Telangana | ₹ 79,900 | ₹ 97,000 |
0 notes
As of now, the Glide SX and SX+ will be sold in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and will be expanded to other regions in a phased manner. The low-speed Glyde SX costs ₹ 74,000 in India, while the high-speed SX+ will cost you around ₹ 95,000 (both ex-showroom, Maharashtra). However, these are pre-subsidy prices. The company says that once the FAME 2 subsidy is implemented, the SX+ price in Maharashtra could be as low as ₹68,000, which would make it much cheaper than all its rivals. The deliveries for the scooter will start from January 2022. So, if you’re looking for an affordable, no-nonsense electric scooter for your city commute, the Glide is definitely worth considering.
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