Lightweight electric mobility options have greatly bridged the gap between cycling and taking a car or public transport on a daily basis. All over the world, a lot of these small e-mobility devices – e-scooters and e-bikes included – fall under a gray area wherein they're not exaclty 100-percent active transport options (as they're powered by an electric motor), but still don't require a license for people to use them.
A lot of these vehicles, a great majority of which are two-wheelers, can be seen plying urban streets across Asia and Europe, and quite frankly, this shows no signs of slowing down. More and more manufacturers across the world are hopping in on the e-mobility trend, with Yulu, an Indian company, being the latest of the bunch. In its home country, Yulu has just unveiled the Wynn, its very first personal electric scooter. It carries an introductory price of just Rs 55,555, translating to about $680 USD. After the introductory period, the Wynn will retail for Rs 59,999, or about $734 USD – still very affordable.
Yulu's design team ensured that the Wynn would be an accessible, easy-to-ride two-wheeler that's sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of Indian roads. To achieve this, the Wynn adopts an incredibly barebones design. It rolls on 12-inch wheels, and is suspended by a tiny telescopic front fork and a pair of rear shock absorbers. The result is a compact electric two-wheeler that doesn't even require a license to operate. Furthermore, riders as young as 16 years can hop aboard and go for a ride.
On the performance side of the equation, the Yulu Wynn is powered by a modest 250-watt hub-mounted electric motor. It has a top speed of just 15 miles per hour, ensuring young and inexperienced riders can't really get into too much trouble. Meanwhile, it's packing a 0.9 kilowatt-hour battery pack with a claimed range of 42 miles per charge. Adding to the whole accessibility aspect, the Wynn's battery pack can be swapped out in any of Yuma Energy's battery swapping stations, of which there are about 100 at present. That said, Yuma Energy claims that there will be up to 500 by December, 2023.
