Kinetic Green E-Luna Road Test Review

Here’s how well the electric avatar of the iconic Kinetic Luna performs in the real world

Kinetic Luna is a name most of us have heard from our parents and grandparents, an iconic moped which was first launched in the early 70s and was sold until 2000. It came with a rich history and legacy, the memory of which is still quite fresh in the minds of many. 

Kinetic Green has now brought it back, but this time in an electric avatar. We recently had a chance to ride this multi-utility electric scooter and here’s what we think about its real world performance.

Design

The E-Luna manages to maintain the same design language as the original Kinetic Luna. The e-scooter overall is minimalist and utilitarian, it doesn’t try hard to look good but it just does. The fit and finish levels on the scooter are quite good, with no exposed wiring or poorly integrated panels visible anywhere. The scooter doesn’t really attract attention, but older folk who have seen the original Luna will recognize it quite easily.

It is clear that the brand was going for utility primarily and not looks, as the scooter comes with a bunch of utilitarian bits that are designed to help its primary purpose, which is carrying loads. The spacious floorboard and luggage stowing hook at the front, along with the easy to remove rear seat are some examples. Overall, there isn’t much to say about the design as the e-scooter is meant to be a utility vehicle and in this case form follows function.

Motor, Powertrain And Range

The E-Luna gets a 1.2kW motor, which offers a top speed of 50kmph. The acceleration is linear and slowly builds up speed. Once at 50kmph, it is also able to hold the speed without much difficulty. 

Currently the E-Luna is offered in two variants, X1 and X2. The X1 variant gets a 1.7kWh lithium-ion battery pack with a claimed range of 90km whereas the X2 comes with a larger 2kWh battery pack, offering a claimed range of 110km. We tested the X1 variant and managed to get 54.8km range with one full charge, riding both solo and with a pillion. 

The interesting thing about the scooter’s performance is how well it is able to pull even when carrying heavy loads. When riding with a pillion, who is relatively well built, weighing around 80kg the scooter didn’t seem to have any trouble pulling away from a stop. With a pillion, it doesn’t feel quick, but it never felt like it would struggle to get from point A to point B. . The performance overall is decent for a multi-utility electric scooter whose primary purpose is to handle last mile deliveries.

Now, coming to the usage as a personal transport vehicle. The E-Luna does offer decent performance and riding it in the city isn’t an issue as it is able to keep up with city traffic without much trouble. When moving to the highway, things change and the E-Luna does struggle a bit trying to keep up and the top-speed of 50kmph is not enough. But then again, the E-Luna isn’t meant for trips down the highway anyway, so it isn’t a deal breaker.

Handling And Ride Quality

Thanks to its low kerb weight of 96kg combined with the slim and sleek profile, the E-Luna is a fantastic handler in city traffic. The scooter is easy to manoeuvre and can cut through traffic without any fuss.

The E-Luna gets 16-inch spoke wheels at both ends with TVS Eurogrip tyres. The tyres are quite grippy and inspire confidence. When riding over wet roads and even tiled surfaces I didn’t feel that the grip from the tyres was not enough or that the scooter could slip.

Braking duties are handled by drums at both ends, with combined braking system (CBS) for added safety. The brakes are decent and can get their job done, but at times feel a bit inadequate.

The front brake doesn’t have much feedback and a lack of bite is very noticeable, the rear brake on the other hand is quite good with its strong initial bite and steady progression. I found myself relying solely on the rear brake in most cases while riding, with a few exceptional cases where I used both when I had to brake suddenly. 

Being a multi-utility scooter that is designed to carry loads, the suspension setup is set towards the firmer side, so when you are riding solo you’ll end up feeling some of the bumps and potholes in the road. But once you start carrying loads or even a pillion, the suspension feels a bit more plush and can handle most bumps and potholes on our roads with ease.

But it is important to note that larger bumps and potholes might end up bottoming out the rear shocks when carrying loads heavier than 80kg, in addition to the rider.

One thing that stands out is the lightweight construction and the weight distribution. Most of its weight is concentrated near the battery and motor, which are placed in the centre. The front feels quite light and wobbles quite a bit when going through exceptionally rough patches of road or rumbler strips. 

Comfort

Comfortable riding is something the E-Luna is able to deliver quite well, thanks to its neutral riding posture and the well cushioned rider’s seat. The seat is very spacious and the cushioning on it is very well done. It doesn’t come off as too hard or too soft. It is able to provide enough support to be able to facilitate long hours of riding, without the rider feeling uncomfortable or any pain in the butt.

The pillion seat, like the rider’s seat, is long and spacious but a bit towards the softer side. In our tests we found out that riding with a pillion is not an issue when going for short trips like to the grocery store but journeys over 10km can become uncomfortable. 

Features

The E-Luna gets a LCD instrument console, which displays readouts like speed, battery level, distance to empty (DTE), along with trip and odometer readouts. The instrument console has a clean layout and provides good visibility even under direct sunlight. 

But it isn’t very accurate and the distance to empty readout’s calculation doesn't come out right all the time. The battery level indicator uses bars to display the level of charge, but this doesn’t actually give a decent idea of how much charge the scooter actually has as the indicated levels don’t change until the e-scooter has expended a great deal of charge. 

With prolonged use the charge levels displayed drops down drastically from full to 50, then to the last few bars rapidly, instead of a more accurate steady drop and this increases range anxiety quite a bit. Displaying the battery percentage in numbers might have made things better.

Coming to the utilitarian bits, the E-Luna gets two storage points. The first is the floorboard, with the luggage hook and second is the rear. Once the rear seat is detached, riders can easily turn the scooter’s rear section as a mounting point for luggage. Removing the rear seat and converting the scooter to a purely utility vehicle is quite easy and takes only 2-3 minutes as you only have to remove 5 screws.

Now, it is important to note that the E-Luna is meant to primarily be a utilitarian vehicle which can also double up as a personal vehicle. So the lack of features you’d normally find on regular scooters such as boot space shouldn’t come as a surprise. This can be a deal breaker to some, who might be thinking of using the E-Luna as a personal transport vehicle first and a business vehicle second.

Should You Buy The Kinetic Green E-Luna?

The E-Luna is an interesting product and isn’t one that might be suited for everyone. IF you’re primarily looking for something that will be primarily used for personal transport with the occasional deliveries here and there, then the E-Luna might not be to your liking.

Although the scooter offers decent performance, easy handling and decent load carrying capacities, it won’t be the best option for a personal transport as it lacks an underseat storage, which regular scooters come with. 

When looking at it from a small business/delivery needs perspective, the E-Luna is quite a good scooter. As mentioned above, it is easily able to handle heavy loads without feeling stressed, offers decent range and the relaxed riding posture and comfortable seat makes it easy to ride for long durations. 

The scooter can also double up as a personal transport vehicle by just adding on the rear seat. So if you are a small business owner who is looking for a simple electric solution to your transportation and delivery needs, then the E-Luna is definitely worth considering.