Okinawa Praise becomes India’s first electric scooter to reach Khardung La

Electric scooters are meant for city commuters but try telling that to Okinawa, the manufacturer of the Praise electric scooter. The Gurgaon-based electric two wheeler maker got two intrepid riders to ride two Okinawa Praise electric scooters to one of the world’s highest mountain passes, the Khardung La. This makes the Okinawa Praise the only electric scooter to have reached a height of 18,380 feet.

Notably, the journey from Gurgaon to Khardung La took 10 full days, and covered a distance of 1,350 kilometers. The Okinawa Praise electric scooters were ridden across Ambala, Jalandhar, Pathankot, Banihal, Ganderbal, Sonamarg, Srinagar, Bhimbat, Lamayuru, Leh, and finally Khardung La. The scooters were ridden at speeds averaging from 55 Kph to 75 Kph, and are said to have offered a range of about 170-200 kilometers per charge of their lithium ion battery stacks.

Jeetender Sharma, Managing Director, Okinawa Autotech, said,

The ‘Praise De Himalaya’ campaign is the first and one-of-its-kind journey of an e-scooter to an extremely high-altitude zone where it is very difficult to attempt two-wheeler expeditions. While many apprehensions were raised on Praise’s ability to complete such a difficult journey, we at Okinawa were confident of our vehicle’s capabilities to complete the trip successfully. It is not every day that an e-vehicle comfortably completes a voyage of 1350 km and reaches a height of 18,380 ft. Through the ‘Praise De Himalaya’ campaign, we wanted to ‘Fight for Height ’i.e. the different psychological barriers and biases that stop a consumer from opting for an e-vehicle. We sincerely believe that Praise’s unique achievement will bring forth a transformation in the way that e-vehicles are viewed in the country.

The Okinawa Praise electric scooter was launched late last year, at an ex-showroom price of about Rs. 60,000, which makes it pricier than most petrol powered automatic scooters sold here. Sharply styled, the Okinawa Praise is one of India’s fastest electric scooters with a top speed of 75 Kmph. Even more impressive is the claimed battery range of up to 200 kilometers on a single charge.

As for features, the scooter offers an impressive array of equipment that include an LED headlamp, turn indicators and tail lamp, a fully digital instrument cluster, 3 ride modes – Economy, Sporty and Turbo, telescopic front suspension, twin gas-charged rear suspension, side stand with anti-theft sensor, alloy wheels with tubeless tyres, a mobile charging point, a keyless start system, ‘Find My Scooter’ location tracker device and electronic assist braking system.