TVS iQube ST Vs Rival Top Variants

Where price is concerned, Ola S1 Pro Gen 2 is hard to beat and buyer trends highlight the same, while Ather 450 Apex appears to be priced at a premium

After almost a couple of years, TVS has launched the top-spec ST variant of its iQube electric scooter. So, all the bells and whistles like a 7-inch touchscreen and the likes with iQube have finally launched. TVS seems to have gone overboard in the battery department and has offered India’s biggest battery on any electric scooter.

TVS iQube ST Vs Rival Top Variants

Now, that TVS iQube’s top-spec ST trim has been launched, it begs the question as to how it compares to the top-spec variants of its rivals. That said, we will keep this comparison short and stick to what the rivals are offering, where fundamentals are concerned, and how much they cost.

Where capacity is concerned, TVS iQube ST’s 5.1 kWh battery is the biggest ever fitted to an electric scooter in In. Despite the large battery, claimed range is only 150 km. We say claimed range, because TVS doesn’t advertise this as real range or true range. Not even in the disclaimers. At Rs. 1.85 lakh quoted, is effective ex-sh price and feels slightly on the higher side, considering everything it offers.

At 212 km claimed range, Simple One is very hard to beat. This claimed range could come close to reality as Simple One has a large 5 kWh battery. This is a combination of a larger fixed battery and a smaller removable battery for convenience. Where sales are concerned, Simple Energy is nowhere significant and is overshadowed by almost all known and unknown electric 2W brands. At Rs. 1.66 lakh (effective ex-sh), price seems reasonable considering everything it offers.

If we take Ola S1 Pro Gen 2, it has a 4 kWh battery, but the optimisation seems to have allowed them to claim 195 km range on a single charge. When we take the Rs. 1.3 lakh (ex-sh, effective) and correlate it with everything it offers, S1 Pro emerges as the value champ. It is the most performance-oriented scooter too, with highest power and top-speed.

Chetak offers the smallest battery

Hero MotoCorp’s foray into electric 2W mobility was marked by Vida sub-brand. Company’s flagship, Vida V1 Pro, packs dual removable batteries totalling a healthy 3.94 kWh capacity and promises 165 km range on a full charge. Priced at Rs. 1.3 lakh (effective ex-sh),

At the other end of VFM scale, we have Ather 450 Apex that costs Rs. 1.95 lakh (effective ex-sh). Interestingly, it is unclear whether Ather 450 Apex gets a Pro Pack on top. If it does, pricing will go up further. For the price, Ather doesn’t offer the best of numbers in almost every single attribute. But they do bank heavily on the dynamics and over-engineered batteries. Aluminium chassis, the new Magic Twist throttle definitely contribute in that regard.

Lastly, we have Bajaj’s Chetak Premium electric scooter. Priced at Rs. 1.47 lakh (ex-sh), the price seems to be including the optional package with extra features too. Chetak seems to be the only one to quote ex-sh price instead of effective ex-sh price. The 3.2 kWh battery is the smallest in this comparison and translates to lowest range at 126 km.