22 Motors Adds Hill Assist To Electric Scooter Features — Was It Really Required?

Gurugram based electric scooter manufacturer 22Motors filed a worldwide patent for its Hill-Assist feature on 7 February 2019. The patent was granted on 9 May 2019. The Hill-Assist feature will be the first of its kind on an electric scooter in India. This is a big addition to the list of safety features already offered by 22 Motors.

Parveen Kharb, Chief Executive Officer, and Co-Founder, 22Motors said, "We often underestimate the dangers of riding uphill and while most four wheelers are complete with safety features like hill start assist, we firmly believe that everyone has an equal right to safety."

Hill-Assist gives a rider more confidence while riding on an incline, thereby making the ride easier and safer. The technology is said to automatically activate while riding up an inclined space like in hilly regions. The Hill-Assist feature ensures that the scooter does not roll back, giving the rider time to accelerate.

Electric scooters that 22Motors manufactures already feature a Reverse Mode, Cruise Mode, and a Drag Mode. With the addition of the Hill-Assist feature, 22Motors has the some of the most technologically-advanced electric scooters available in India.

The Reverse Mode allows for a rider to use the motor on the vehicle to get it out of parking spaces and tight spots, relying more on power from the motor instead of the physical work a rider has to put in. The Drag Mode, unfortunately, is not a quarter-mile race set-up.

The Drag Mode allows for movement of the scooter, restricted to 3kmph, in case of a breakdown (provided the battery and the motor are undamaged) or a flat tyre — One can push the vehicle to the closest mechanic or workshop without having to put too much of effort.

Other features on the scooter include an Artificial Intelligence system that studies rider behaviour, and then computes servicing schedules, and computes when new parts for the scooter need to be ordered. 22Motors say that this will help minimize breakdowns to a large extent. The scooters also offers cloud-based data analysis and Intelligent Collision Detection alert.

The first scooter that 22Motors will launch is called the Flow. The 22Motors Flow was revealed at the Auto Expo 2018, and is expected to be priced at Rs 74,740 ex-showroom (India).

Thoughts About Hill Assist On An Electric Scooter

We have no idea why a scooter or a motorcycle really needs hill assist. We think an electric scooter can either make it up a hill or not make it up. Besides, we do not think that people will take an electric scooter to a hilly region, and most cities are not built around hilly regions.

It is great that 22Motors is adding as many features as possible to their scooter offering, but may be they could have offered something else more practical.