Ever wanted an electric vehicle but wished you could simply remove a flat battery and swap it for a full one like your old Nokia? Well, you’re in luck, because Blueshark has launched its R1 scooter in Malaysia, complete with a unique battery swap system. Here’s everything you need to know.
Blueshark R1 Malaysia price and availability
The Blueshark R1 is available in two variants—the budget-friendly R1 Lite and the regular R1. Prices are as follows:
- Blueshark R1 Lite – RM7,190 (scooter only)
- Blueshark R1 – RM9,390 (scooter only)
Those figures include only the bike, without the batteries; those are available on a rental basis at RM79 a month. Blueshark will sell you the batteries in one lump sum, but that will apparently cost somewhere in the figure of RM3,000 each (there are two for each scooter), so it’s not really an economical option. And beside, going down that route will deny you of the R1’s true USP—the ability to go to a swap station (called a BlueStation) and simply trade your depleted batteries for fully-charged ones.
To enjoy this benefit, you’ll have to pony up an extra RM59 per month, giving you 36 swaps every month. If you do more mileage and need to change your batteries more frequently, you’ll need to pay RM99 per month for up to 70 swaps, or RM139 per month for up to 120 swaps. Alternatively, you can simply pay RM1.95 for each swap.
Blueshark is also targeting commercial customers, which is why it is offering rentals of the R1 at RM487 per month for the Lite model and RM547 per month for the regular R1. This includes the battery rental, so you don’t have to worry about paying extra, although you do still need to subscribe to the swap service if you want it.
The R1 is available to purchase or rent at the Blueshark showroom and 3S service centre in Glenmarie. The company is providing a one-year warranty for the bike itself and a two-year warranty for the electric motor. None for the battery, obviously, given that Blueshark sells it on a subscription basis. The bikes come fully imported from China, but it plans to kick off local assembly later this year. And yes, in case you’re wondering, you’ll only need a B2 licence to be able to ride this thing.
Power, range and charging
The R1 itself is a fairly standard electric scooter, targeted at delivery riders and slightly more affluent commuters. A single electric motor produces just 5kW, or 6.7hp, but it’s been geared towards providing more low-end torque. In fact, it makes 201Nm, almost matching the Ora Good Cat. As such, even though the R1 only has a top speed of 80km/h, it will get from zero to 50km/h in just 4.9 seconds. You can choose from four ride modes—Eco, Normal, Sport and a Turbo mode for maximum performance.
The R1’s two batteries have a total capacity of 2.88kWh, providing a claimed NEDC range of 110km, although its real-world range is probably closer to 80km. To charge the batteries, you can either plug up the bike itself, or you can take out the batteries and place it on a dedicated charging station (and yes, you can ride the bike with only one battery). Charging both batteries will take two and a half hours from zero to 80% and three and a half hours for a full charge.
You can of course simply swap a flat battery for a fully charged one, and you can do so at any of the BlueStations in the Klang Valley. However, there are only four of these stations available, located at the Petronas stations at Batu Tiga along the Federal Highway, Section 13 in Shah Alam, USJ 6 in Subang Jaya and Desa Mentari in Petaling Jaya. That’s not a lot, but Blueshark Malaysia says it has plans to grow its BlueStation network exponentially over the coming years. We’ll see about that.
High tech, but only if you pay extra
The rest of the bike is actually pretty cool. You get LED head- and taillights and disc brakes at the front and rear; both brakes are applied no matter which lever you pull (both handlebar levers operate the brakes, since there’s no clutch). There are also seven colours to choose from, including white, black, blue, green, gold, brown and even pink.
The differences between the regular and Lite model are mainly down to the tech onboard. The standard bike has a 10.4-inch full-colour display that runs on Blueshark’s ArkRide operating system, with Bluetooth connectivity and even loudspeakers for playing your music. You even get a “virtual vroom” feature that makes your electric scooter sound like it runs on petrol.
You’ll also find a front dash cam, cruise control, a USB-A and USB-C port, a two-person seat and a helmet storage compartment underneath. You get none of that with the R1 Lite, just a monochrome LCD instrument cluster, a single seat and a rack at the back for installing accessories like a storage box. Both R1 models come with a walking assist mode that provides some electrical assistance when walking the bike forwards or backwards. On the full-fat R1, you even get reverse sensors and a rear-view camera.
