The first thing you’ll notice about the Blacksmith
B3 electric scooter is that it diverges from the standard Vespa-style scooter
design. Blacksmith, the Chennai, India-based electric motorcycle startup,
based the design of the B3 largely on their stunning B2 electric cruiser
motorcycle unveiled earlier this summer.
The Blacksmith B3 is powered by a 6.7 hp continuous electric motor rated for an actual peak power of 19.4 hp.
That helps the B3 reach its advertised top speed of up to 120 km/h.
The B3 also offers speed limiting though, with the capability of being
electronically limited to lower top speeds, which likely helps with regulatory
hurdles in various countries.
The battery is described as a “High Energy Density
NMC battery pack with Intelligent Bluetooth BMS”, though the capacity hasn’t
yet been revealed. Blacksmith claims the B3 can reach a maximum range of 120 km, though it doesn’t indicate at what speed. The Blacksmith B3 electric
scooter has a rated capacity of 200 kg, meaning two larger riders
shouldn’t be an issue. It is also rated to climb grades as high as 25 degrees.
The B3 also comes with patent-pending traffic
indicators to notify the rider of approaching traffic on either side of the
scooter. We’ve seen these types of sensors employed on electric motorcycles
before, but they are rare on electric scooters.
The scooter also features built-in GPS, another
feature becoming increasingly common on electric motorcycles and scooters. The Blacksmith B3 electric
scooter is designed to have swappable batteries, just like its big brother, the
B2 electric motorcycle. Blacksmith actually has the only Indian patent for a battery swap
station, according to EMN.
The Blacksmith B3 and B2 both join a number of
interesting electric motorcycles and scooters coming out of India recently. The country is considering
outlawing most non-electric two and three-wheeled vehicles by 2025, making the
push for electric motorcycles and scooters that much more important in India.