Benling India has almost 350 widespread dealerships in the country located across 22 States and 160 cities
Industry experts say that the Indian EV market is likely to expand at a CAGR of 77% by value. This is what might have tempted Honda to enter this segment with an Electric Activa in 2023 which was expected to happen after 2025. This fact has also attracted a lot of electric scooter companies to shoot their shots.
One such company is Benling and on India’s 75th Independence day, has launched its new electric scooter Believe. No, no. The name of the electric scooter itself is Believe and is launched at Rs. 97,520 (ex-sh). As a company, Benling is a pure electric 2W brand with a strong presence in 84 different countries.
To launch Believe, Benling has partnered up with IPower Batteries to source swappable LFP cells (Lithium Ferrous Phosphate). Benling wants to leverage its 350 dealerships located across 22 States and 160 cities to sell its new electric scooter, Believe. It will be available in showrooms for display and test rides from August 25th.
Benling Believe Electric Scooter
For starters, it is a high-speed electric scooter and not a low-speed electric scooter whose top speed is capped at 25 km/h. Talking about top speed, Believe can touch 75 km/h, which is impressive when compared to slow-speed electric scooters. It has a 3.2 kW waterproof BLDC hub motor mounted at the rear wheel.
Powering this hub motor is either a 3.2 kWh swappable Li-ion or 3.2 kWh LFP battery which can be charged in 4 hours (claimed). Benling Believe Electric Scooter range is 120 km on a single charge (claimed) in Eco Mode and 70 km in Sport Mode. The company says that Believe weighs a total of 248 kgs which seems to be its GVW instead of kerb weight. In terms of features, it gets a keyless start, multiple speed modes, an anti-theft alarm feature, regenerative braking, mobile-app connectivity, Park-assist function, Mobile-charging and real-time tracking.
Believe also gets a fully digital instrument cluster with blue back-lighting which surprisingly gets a “gear position indicator showing 4 gears” in an electric scooter with a hub motor. Yeah. We predict that it might be showing the four riding modes as four gears. Or it might have adjustable regenerative braking with four levels that the company didn’t mention. Benling also claims that Believe has fireproof batteries and promises a safe product without getting an AIS 156 certification like TVS iQube does.
Maintenance Mode
Also, Benling has introduced a “Smart Breakdown Assist”, which is a button in the switchgear that according to CEO & MD Amit Kumar, allows Believe to travel 20 km at 25 km/h speed even if the battery or electronics are damaged, or the motor is “gone”. More explanations weren’t made regarding this though. I can’t understand how an EV can travel at any speed if its motor is “gone”.
Believe gets 90/90-12 tubeless tyres wrapped around 12” alloy wheels at both ends. It gets telescopic suspension at both ends too and LED lighting all around. Benling also offers a slew of accessories to match the Believe electric scooter like a helmet, a backpack, and a wristwatch. New Believe electric scooter is offered in 6 colours options -Yellow, Blue, Black, White, Purple, Magic Grey.
Based out of Manesar, Benling also has plans to introduce two new products later this year including an electric loader. Benling is offering a reassuring 3 years of battery warranty or 50,000 km mileage, whichever is early. At Rs. 97,520 (ex-sh), do you believe the Believe? Or will you just buy the Ola S1 launched yesterday?
