Are Electric Bicycles The Perfect Urban Commuter That We've Been Searching For

UK based GoZero Mobility has been eyeing the Indian electric vehicle (EV) market and speculations that the firm will launch an EV product in the country had been gaining grounds since long. Putting an end to the wait, the company has now launched its debut products in India, two electric bikes named Mile and One.

The Mile and One electric bikes can be purchased at a price of Rs 29,999 and Rs 32,999 respectively. But before we decide whether the money spent will actually be worth it, let us first have a look at what GoZero has to offer here.

What is on offer?

To differentiate, there is one everyday commuter in the offering while the other is a flagship model for added off-roading capabilities. GoZero Mile is the former one, backed by a 300 Wh battery while the ¡®One¡¯ comes with a 400Wh battery. Correspondingly, the bikes can cover distances of 45 kms and 60 kms from the battery power, as per the claims of the company.

Both the numbers are a bit higher than the average range offered by electric motorcycles but more importantly, the charging time is less, with GoZero claiming a 2.5 hours time for charging the batteries. The good part, in case they run out, you can always ride the e-bikes as regular bicycles.

GoZero One (Image: GoZero Mobility)

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The batteries power a 250W motor, common in both the e-bikes. As for other similarities, both the offerings come with features like riding modes such as Peddle Assist, Walk Mode, Throttle and Manual Peddle. While both get display units, the one on the Mile is a basic LED while that on the One is a backlit LCD unit.

Same is for the brakes, as the Mile gets a disc brake at the front, a standard V brake at the rear and the flagship One comes with disc brakes on both the ends.

A few of other such features make the One an off-roader. The list includes fatter rubber with enhanced profiling, an altered front shock absorber and five paddle assist modes as opposed to Mile¡¯s three.

GoZero One (Image: GoZero Mobility)

Viability

Electric bicycles are a small segment of a still budding industry in India, that of electric vehicles. While the buyers are still weighing their options on whether to go for an EV instead of an IC engine vehicle, electric bikes comparatively take a back stage in consideration.

That being said, the segment inevitably will be the centre point of mobility in the country, much thanks to the ease of use of such bikes and their zero-emission, (health) beneficial nature. GoZero is has the early mover¡¯s advantage in the potentially enormous market. The company has already announced three more products to be launched within this year. What¡¯s more, it has arranged local production for these products, cutting down on the import cost.

(Image: GoZero Mobility)

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As for the electric bicycles in consideration, the specifications are a notch higher than the industry averages. Comparing the GoZero One to Lightspeed Glyd, both retailing at the same price, One offers a better range thanks to its longer lasting battery, a better display, better tires and even a better braking system at the same price.

So for anyone aiming to go for an electric bicycle spin anytime soon, we don¡¯t see why the GoZero One shouldn¡¯t be on your list.