It seemed not so long ago in 2015 with the scarcity of petrol that electric scooters were the future of commuting here in Nepal. One could see the soundless scooters zipping around town when others were stranded in and around several gas stations. It seemed these scooters were here to stay however with petrol back in normal supply people went back to their old ways of using fossil fueled vehicles. However we still have some contenders in this sector and Terra Motors is one of them. They are a company who were primarily focused on electric rickshaws and now Fair Auto Pvt Ltd, the authorized distributor of Terra Motors in Nepal has rolled out the company’s new smart electric scooter — Terra Acuto.STYLING AND FEATURES

The word that can be used to describe the styling of Acuto is cute or “Kawaii” as the Japanese would say. The cute aesthetic of the Acuto surely grabs your attention and has a distinct style different from other conventional scooters. The pentagon shaped headlights with Dual-LED lighting and Robocop’s visor shaped brake lights accentuates the curvaceous shape of the scooter. The Acuto also can be found in many different shades of colors like the baby blue of our review unit to others like a bright yellow, red and other darker shades like grey and black. If the colors are not to your liking then there are additional panels for the front of the scooter.Coming to the dashboard, the scooter gets an all-digital instrumentation panel which displays speed, remaining battery capacity, riding modes and tripmeter. The scooter also has a reverse button which is something that is mostly reserved for four wheelers. Another feature of four wheelers that has been borrowed by the Acuto is the keyless entry. The scooter has a key akin to those of four-wheelers which can be used to start the scooter with a push of a button or open the boot of the scooter. However the boot of the scooter was disappointing as nearly half the space of the boot was occupied by the battery. Don’t expect to stash your backpack in the boot.PERFORMANCE AND HANDLING

The Terra Acuto is powered by a 3000 Watt Removable Lithium-Ion Battery made by Panasonic and has the capacity of 60V/29Ah. It takes roughly three and a half hours to charge the battery from 0-100% and has the range of seventy kilometers once the battery is full. The scooter also comes with a two year warranty on the battery, controller, motor and the charger. As the scooter is mostly suitable for commutes and not long rides, the full charge of battery will last you a quite a long time. Also as the battery is removable, if you have a spare one you could actually double your range to 140 kilometers which is more than enough for most people.The lower seat height combined with relatively oversized 12-inch wheels creates a low center of gravity. This eases in steering and driving in tight city streets. Similarly, the wheelbase of 1260mm creates a perfect balance between comfort and maneuverability for both a single and double rider experience. Talking about the suspension setup, it comes with front and rear mono hydraulic shock-absorbers which provides a relative smooth ride.The Acuto has two modes “Smart” and “Sports”. Smart mode is ideal if you’re looking for conserving power and going the distance whereas Sports mode is more performance oriented. Coming from a petrol based scooter to an electric scooter can be shocking for some due to the lack of sound and the power it can provide in the silence. The acceleration and torque of the scooter is instantaneous and one must get used to it while revving. It has a claimed top speed of 70 kmph. The disc brakes on both front and rear also helps the scooter to come to a complete stop and makes your ride safe. Overall don’t fall for the cute look of the scooter as it packs quite a punch.

VERDICT

The Terra Acuto is quite a remarkable scooter that is a looker and also a performer. It is fun to ride and delivers a set of high-tech features rarely seen in conventional scooters. The Acuto has a healthy balance of power and efficiency and is suitable for those who are not quite satisfied with the power provided by other electric competitors.

Right now people are hesitant towards jumping on the electric bandwagon. However with a company like Terra which is a renowned Japanese brand doubling their portfolio of consumer oriented electric vehicles in Nepal and a solid performer like Acuto, this might help change the mind of people.