Numeros Motors N-First First Ride Review
When it comes to electric vehicles, is there a product that addresses females? A product focused on female riders and designed specifically for them? Well, Numeros Motors has launched the n-First and is touting it as the electric scooter focused on female riders. For starters, it weighs just 117 kg for the bigger 3 kWh battery pack and 112 kg for the smaller battery pack. But, is it just the weight or is there more that is being offered for female riders on the n-First? Read on to find out!
Design
The slim front section ought to appeal to the audience, especially young college students and first-time office goers. The centre of the apron houses the round LED headlamp unit with LED DRLs and right at the centre of the headlamp housing is the Numeros Motors lettering. The decals are a minimum when it comes to the front section. There are sleek turn indicators above the headlamp unit that flank a small cowl covering the segmented LCD dash. Moving on, the footboard has a small storage space, for that matter, there is no shortage of storage spaces, right below the handlebar is a small cubby space on the left side, also beneath the pillion rider there is a storage space. Now these can be used to carry the important papers, phone, phone charger, spare change and other knick-knacks. The side panels get bold "n" badging along with busy decals that add to the sporty character of the e-scooter. Now, when it comes to the last 1/4th of the e-scooter, that's where one of the biggest pain points is, it looks like a workhorse. Considering the brand is touting it as a city commuter with female riders as the focus, it does not look the part, which is an alarming issue. And the rear section looks a lot like the Diplos Max which is a work horse. Coming back to the n-First, it gets a two-piece seat with grab rails for the pillion rider, a saree guard and a blunt rear end.
Features
In terms of cycle parts, the e-scooter rides on 16-inch alloy wheels that come shod with Eurogrip rubber and how good it performs on the roads, I will talk about that further into this story. Moving on, suspension duties are done a telescopic unit up front and dual shock absorbers at the rear, and should you feel the need to drop the anchors, you will be assisted by drum brakes on both ends with CBS function. It gets a 3.5-inch segmented LCD dash that relay basic information such as SOC (State of Charge), speed, odometer, and trip timer to name a few. And if that does not cut it, you can place your phone on the phone dock available right beneath the instrument cluster. There is a small socket right beneath the phone dock, so you can charge your phone while being on-the-go. There is a small lock on the grab rail behind the pillion seat for your helmets and other valuables, this also is a part of standard equipment. The connected features include theft and tow detection, remote immobilisation, geo-fencing, live location, trip history, OTA updates and service notification to name a few.
Performance
The n-First is available with two battery packs, a 3.0 kWh unit and a 2.5 kWh unit. The bigger battery pack claims a range of 109 km on a single charge and a top speed of 70 kmph. On the other hand, the smaller 2.5 kWh battery variant offers 91 km of range on a full charge with a top speed of 55 kmph. The torque produced by the PMSM mid drive motor remains the same for both the battery packs, which is 34 Nm, but power is slightly different, the motor mated to the bigger battery pack pushes 3.4 PS and the smaller battery pack has a peak power output of 2.5 PS. There are multiple ride modes too, the bigger battery pack has three ride modes Eco, Sport and Normal, the smaller battery pack has just two ride modes Eco and Normal. The company claims that the bigger battery pack takes 7-8 hours for a full charge and the smaller one takes around 5-6 hours. The battery, motor and MCU, all are IP67 rated, that ought to provide some peace of mind to the potential customers.
Ride and Handling
Right from the get go, both the variants are very light on its feet, at just 117 kg it is a cinch to handle to e-scooter and that only gets even better with the 16-inch alloys that come with Eurogrip rubber. The acceleration is brisk and the overall ride experience for the Eco and Normal mode does not feel underwhelming. The overtakes can be planned in the Eco and Normal mode, I did not feel the need to shift to Sport mode for overtakes or to have an engaging ride experience, which is good thing. The suspension components make it a supple ride through out, small pot holes or undulations can be negotiated with a breeze, as the telescopic fork and the dual shocks do a splendid job of absorbing them. And if you encounter big pot holes or speed breakers, just slow down a little and they will be handled with ease. And that brings me to braking, drum units for both section with Eurogrip rubber does a great job of dropping the anchors should the need arise to stop or reduce the speed. No complaints with the braking section. Even the seat cushioning is on the softer side of things, I rode the e-scooter for more than an hour or two and I did not find myself in an uncomfortable position or adjusting my seating position to feel better. The ground clearance is at 159 mm and while Bangalore roads gave me quite a few bad patches along with huge speed breakers, not once did the n-First scrape its belly.
The pain points of the e-scooter start with the very POV of the rider, the cable management could have been concealed better, as the bunch of cables between the 3.5-inch LCD display and phone dock does not look good, a plastic panel could have done a better job of hiding the cables. The plastic quality of the switch gear could have been better. And lastly, the joints on the subframe evidently shows welding patches which stick out like a sore thumb. These are some minor niggles that can be ironed out easily.
Verdict
Now, at an introductory price of Rs 64,999 for the first 1000 customers, you get an electric scooter with two battery packs to choose from and they offer a range of 109 km and 91 km respectively. Along with that, you get features like a phone dock, small lock on the grab rail, geo fencing, immobilisation, theft and two alert, and multiple ride modes too. And all of that in my books is a nice deal. So, if you are shopping for a nice electric scooter in a price range of under Rs 1 lakh, the Numeros Motors n-First should certainly make it to your test ride list.
