TVS Motor Company has introduced the updated 2022 line of TVS iQube premium electric scooters in India. The Indian motorcycling giant has also introduced two new variants of the TVS iQube and has further enabled the e-scooter with more performance and range. The TVS iQube also gets some interesting new features that brings it up to speed with its rivals. We pitch the 2022 TVS iQube against the likes of the Ather 450x and crown the heavyweight out of the two homegrown electric scooters.
2022 TVS iQube vs Ather 450X price in India
The TVS iQube range starts at Rs 98,564 (on-road Delhi) for the base variant and Rs Rs 1.08 lakh (on-road Delhi) for the mid-spec S variant. There is a range-topping ST variant that gets the most number of bells and whistles, but TVS has not intimated the pricing on that specific variant just yet. One can however book the iQube ST for a token booking amount of Rs 999. The prices might vary based upon the location and state-wise taxes and subsidies.
The Ather 450X comes in a single variant and the sticker price stands at Rs 1,28,321 (ex-showroom) in Maharastra, where it is the cheapest. Prices of the Ather too vary based on the purchase location. The scooter is the most expensive in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
2022 TVS iQube vs Ather 450X
Design
Both the scooters take a different approach when it comes to the styling and this category can often be subjective to one’s test. The Ather 450X looks more sporty thanks to its tighter and sharper design. The minimalistic modern touches include an LED lighting array, an exposed skeleton with colour coding, etc.
The 2022 TVS iQube looks modern albeit a bit curvy and has a more pleasing design language. The rounded corners and cuboid-ish style emphasise more functionality than style. The iQube too carries design elements such as an interesting looking LED lighting set-up, a small windscreen integrated into the front cowl and some embellishments to accentuate the design.
Specifications and features
The 2022 TVS iQube is fresh from the factory and gets overall reworked mechanicals and TVS claims that the new electric motor has now been reworked for throttle response and has improved the Eco mode. The iQube continues with the 4.4kW motor and is capable of a 0-40 sprint in just 4.2 seconds. The base and S variants get a new 32.kWh battery pack up from the 2.2kWh battery pack seen previously. These two variants are capable of a top speed of 78kmph. The ST variant with its larger 5.1kWh battery pack is capable of a slightly higher 82kmph.
The 2022 TVS iQube gets two modes – Power and Economy; it also gets a Q-assist mode (reverse) to aid riders. The base variant comes with a smaller 5-inch TFT display for the MID while the higher S and ST variants get 7-inch units. The 2022 iQube also gets Amazon Alexa connectivity which allows users to communicate with their scooter via smart home appliances. The TVS also boasts of getting its in-house connected vehicle platform, TVS SmartXonnect, for essential vehicle functions and status.
The Ather 450X on the other hand gets a more powerful 6kW motor that generates 26Nm of peak torque. This translates into a 0-40kmph sprint in a faster 3.3-second mark. The e-scooter will go on to a top speed of 80kmph. The Ather 450X gets a 2.9kWh li-ion battery which is IP67 rated.
The Ather 450X gets four riding modes namely Warp, Sport, Ride, and Eco. Additionally, Ather has introduced a SmartEco mode that extracts maximum range from the scooter without compromising performance. The Ather 450X gets a 7-inch TFT touchscreen display that works as the MID and doubles up with connected features as well. It gets a generous 22-litre under-seat storage, and reverse mode.
Range and charging
The Ather 450X with its smaller battery pack gets a 116km claimed range while the true range is around 85km. Ather’s onboard battery pack takes about 3 hours and 35 minutes to charge from 0 percent to 80 percent via the Ather Dot charger.
The 2022 TVS iQube on the other hand with its new and bigger battery pack manages to travel 75km and 100km in the base and S variants respectively. The higher-spec ST variant promises a range of 145km on a single charge. In fact, the higher-spec ST variant gets a 1.5kW fast charging option.
