A Simple Ultra review for the ages began one morning in Goa as content creator Sidharth Naik set off on his Ponda-bound Simple Ultra electric scooter with his own unique proposition of a 400 km journey on one charge. Simple Energy says the Ultra can achieve up to 400 km on one charge, but how much of that would come to fruition during an intense round-trip coastal ride from Ponda to Malvan in Maharashtra and back?
Naik set himself a number of standards to ensure the conditions were as close as possible to actual consumer use. The entire journey had to be undertaken alone with no camera crew or extra pillion, he had to stick to Eco X mode throughout the trip, and he had to restrict load-carrying to a bare minimum. Given that he weighed 58 kgs and was carrying no more than 5 kgs, and that nitrogen-filled tyres were set to their recommended pressure, the Simple Ultra found itself being as light as circumstances would allow. Self-imposed restrictions always help in eliminating variables that inflate or shrink range estimates in a casual jaunt.
The journey commenced just before six o’clock with the battery showing 99 percent and the trip meter reset. The route taken traversed through Panjim, Mapusa, Banda and Kudal to Malvan, a distance of about 128 km one-way. Initial reports were promising as almost 19 km in the Old Goa-Panjim highway saw the battery retain 91 percent of its capacity. By the time he reached Sindhudurg district after 68.7 km, it showed 70 percent. When he finally reached Malvan beach with the historic Sindhudurg Fort behind him and tourist boats waiting to ferry him across, the scooter had covered about 129 km and retained roughly half its charge.
A brief detour to Vengurla saw Naik halt for a traditional Malvani fish thali at a friend’s place, but the cumulative distance covered increased to 117.7 km with 48 percent charge remaining and the Eco X display still showing a healthy reserve. From there, the return leg commenced in the late afternoon, and encountered the same Panjim-Pernem traffic that the outgoing journey had. Progress was made consistently even as the sun went down, and the battery indicated 21 percent at the Maharashtra-Goa border after 236 km had been covered. As night fell, he continued riding through local lanes and highways, conserving the remaining charge without depleting the entire pack to keep the battery’s long-term health in check.
When the display finally stabilised at five percent, the odometer showed that 288.9 km had been covered on one charge, with an estimated ten km still usable. Thus, although it fell short of the headline 400 km claim, the range was still substantial for long-distance coastal commuting. Naik chalked the performance up to sticking to Eco X mode, light load-carrying and nitrogen-filled tyres that were set to their recommended pressure. He had already put more than 350 km on the scooter since acquiring it and the panels bearing a dusty brown hue were already a far cry from the glossy black ones that he had seen on his first day.
Overall, the outing was illuminating in showcasing how a Simple Ultra can comfortably manage a round-trip journey from Goa to Maharashtra and back while managing to have some charge left to spare under carefully applied real-world conditions. Besides showcasing the impressive range, the ride was also a lesson in how well planning and conservative riding can see an electric scooter through an extended day touring the western coastal belt of India.