Okinawa Praise Review: How’s Okinawa’s entry-level e-scooter in the real-world conditions?

The Okinawa Praise carries quite an enticing price tag. So we find out if Okinawa has nailed the pricing or if it feels like a compromise. 

• Its 2.4kW motor can propel it to a claimed 60kmph top speed.
• The Turbo mode, meanwhile, takes the electric scooter to 75kmph
• The brand claims you can do between 175-200km on a single charge

Electric scooters are rapidly approaching maturity. However, most of the electric scooters launched in the Indian market so far haven't really made us sit up and take notice. Most of those we've tested have also been underwhelming. However, the Okinawa Praise, which was introduced a few years ago, appears promising, especially given the low price tag.

Okinawa Praise: Design & Features 

A lot of that promise stems from the Praise's excellent first impression, at least visually. Its aggressive lines, wide front apron, and long wheelbase give it the appearance of a maxi scooter. And some of its components, such as the front brake rotors (yes, plural), adjustable machined aluminium levers, and gas-charged suspension, give it a high-tech appearance.

But there are some downers as well. The bright graphics, for example, appear almost childish and detract from the otherwise appealing two-tone paint scheme. The instrument cluster, though all-digital, is quite small and basic, only displaying a speedometer, odometer, a single tripmeter that resets every time you turn off the scooter, numbers indicating what mode the scooter is currently in, and a battery metre, which in our case didn't appear to work at all. The overall quality of plastic varies from acceptable to downright cheap.

Okinawa Praise: Motor & Battery details

The Praise managed 110km in our urban test cycle, riding around in only Eco mode until the batteries ran out. In Sporty mode, that figure fell to 78km. Because it is no longer possible to ride in Turbo mode all of the time, it was impossible to test the range in that mode. It's also difficult to keep the scooter in Eco mode all the time because it severely limits your speed. 

It's fine in stop-and-go traffic, but we believe that in most urban settings, most riders will keep the Praise in Sport mode, with the occasional use of Turbo for faster overtakes. Because of the auto-resetting trip metre and unreliable battery charge indicator, keeping track of how much the scooter had run was one of the most difficult challenges we faced when testing the Praise's range.

Actual performance figures differ significantly from those claimed by Okinawa. The Praise reached 32kmph in Eco mode and 51kmph in Sport mode. However, the speedometer was overly optimistic here, showing 38kmph and 62kmph. We were able to top out this e-scooter at 61kmph using Turbo boost, with the speedometer reading 74kmph.

Okinawa Praise: Chassis

There aren't any high-tech underpinnings beneath that flashy skin. The Praise has a fairly standard underbone frame, with only a battery arrangement under the floorboard and an underseat storage box. Even the batteries are fairly basic 12V 45Ah automotive units. However, the Praise employs a total of six of these for a total of 72v. Because industry standards for a 12v 45Ah battery are around 15kg, the battery pack for the Praise itself weighs around 90kg with six of these. This would put the kerb weight of this electric scooter somewhere between 145 and 150kg. 

Okinawa Praise: Dimensions

The Praise's saddle height is 774mm, which is slightly higher than the NTorq's and slightly lower than the Access'. As a result, riders of all heights will have no trouble keeping their feet firmly planted on the ground. The handlebar position is also ideal - not too high, not too low. The floorboard, however, is ridiculously high due to the underfloor batteries, forcing you into a very knees-up, almost ‘squatty-potty' riding position. 

As a result, even if you're of average height, the handlebar will dig into your knees when you take tight turns. The seat, on the other hand, is fairly comfortable for both the rider and the pillion. However, the pillion footrests are set quite high and leave little room for your feet. 

Okinawa Praise: Variants & Price

The Okinawa’s been pegged at Rs 99,645 (ex-showroom Delhi), making it sound like quite a reasonable price given the current crop of scooters. 

Conclusion

While it is far from the best electric scooter in India, it does the job well enough, is available in most cities across the country, and is reasonably priced at Rs 99,645 (ex-showroom Delhi). The final question is whether you can use it every day for the grind. Yes, there are some compromises, but as long as you understand and accept them, you can!