Founded in 2015 by Jeetender Sharma and Rupali Sharma, the electric two-wheeler manufacturer Okinawa has its headquarters in Gurugram while its manufacturing facility is present in Bhiwadi district of Rajasthan. Only recently Okinawa announced that it would be moving forward with its line-up without the presence of lead-acid battery-powered e-scooters, therefore, meaning all its current and future products are supposed to be fitted with superior lithium-ion batteries.

Currently, Okinawa has six electric scooters in its line-up, and the brand is expected to bring one more electric scooter to the Indian market by the end of 2021. So, let’s take a close look at what Okinawa has on offer in the Indian market.

Dubbed the Okinawa Cruiser, it’s the first electricity powered maxi-scooter to hit the Indian market by next year. Okinawa bikes have already unveiled the Cruiser in its concept form, and we must say, it looks like nothing we’ve ever seen from the Indian electric two-wheeler manufacturer.

The Okinawa Cruiser is every bit a maxi-scooter as it could have been – the other maxi-scooter on sale here is the Suzuki Burgman Street and Honda and Aprilia are all set to join the bandwagon very soon – and some of the design highlights that really stand out include a bold front apron, which neatly integrates the large LED headlamp and turn indicators. A wide cruiser-like handlebar, similarly-placed footrest, and a comfortable riding position work well in the favour of this maxi scooter. Moreover, long and swooping rear section results in a very well placed and long seat, which should easily accommodate two mid-size adults without either one feeling uncomfortable. This also results in a long boot area, which is another plus for this electricity-powered maxi-scooter.

It also gets a few electronic gizmos comprising of a keyless ignition system, find my scooter alert, anti-theft system, a smartphone charging USB port, and motor walking assistance. A fully-digital instrument cluster is also expected to make it to the cut as the final version comes close to life.

Powering the Cruiser is a 3kW electric motor, which works in tandem with a 4kWh lithium-ion battery. In combination, the scooter is able to deliver a range of 120 kilometres on a single charge while the top speed is expected to be north of 100km/h. Furthermore, the scooter is expected to ride on 14-inch wheels with telescopic forks suspension at the front and a dual shock absorber at the back.

Besides the Cruiser, which is Okinawa’s sole upcoming scooter in the Indian market, the manufacturer currently retails the Ridge, the recently-launched R30, the Lite, the Praise, the Ridge Plus, and, lastly, the flagship-grade i-Praise.

When it arrives in the Indian market, the Cruiser shall sit between the i-Praise and the Ridge Plus in the brand’s product portfolio, both of which are extremely well-balanced electric scooters. Where the Ridge Plus is an outright sporty scooter – taking a lot of its design cues from the standard Ridge – the i-Praise is a good upgrade over the standard Praise by all means, as it looks very futuristic and has a good riding range of 170 kilometres on a single charge (as opposed to the Ridge Plus’ 120 kilometres of riding range)

Besides these two, the other range of scooters – which are relatively more affordable – from Okinawa are very decent packages for the buck. Take the Okinawa R30, for instance, which is just a slight bit more affordable than the Okinawa Lite, but this makes it one of the best value-for-money propositions out there. However, in the design department, it looks very similar to the entry-level Ridge, which might seem like a downer for some an extra amount of money opting for the R30 rather than the Ridge.

As for the rest, it’s the Okinawa Lite that stands out in terms of design as it’s the only scooter that gets a retro design, which may appeal to many old-school consumers. As for us, however, we cannot wait to test out the Okinawa Cruiser on our Indian roads and see how it fares against other new-age electric scooters from other brands. For that, of course, we’ll have to wait in anticipation till the latter half of 2021. Also, grab the latest info on the upcoming scooters in India, only at autoX.