Ampere Magnus EX

Ampere has been one of the earliest players in the electric two-wheeler market in India since 2008. The Magnus EX is a commuter electric scooter which was designed for families and competes with other entry-level electric scooters in India. Here’s how it performs in the real world.

The Magnus EX comes with a design which closely resembles that of a petrol-powered electric scooter. Only when taking a closer look at it, is it clear that the Magnus is an electric scooter. It has a sleek and sporty design, and looks particularly good in vibrant colours like red and yellow. The silver finish that we saw on the test scooter we received is appealing but it isn’t that flashy. 

Ampere has added some subtle chrome highlights on the front apron and the headlight, which adds a bit of premium feel to the e-scooter. But the scooter overall feels a bit substandard, with the plastic bodywork that gives it a flimsy impression.

The Ampere Magnus EX comes with Halogen headlight, tail light and indicators. But it gets LED DRLs on the front apron. The instrument cluster is a LCD unit with basic readouts along with estimated range and turn-by-turn navigation functionality. The e-scooter comes with an apron-mounted USB charging port along with a small storage compartment. The underseat storage is a spacious one and also includes a boot light as well. There’s also a side stand sensor.

The Magnus EX comes with a removable Lithium-ion battery. But taking the battery out is also a bit complicated. First you would have to unlock a lid with the key and after that you have to take out two screws and a metal strap to reach the battery. The entire process makes removing and reinserting the battery a hassle. Ampere could have made this process simpler. The only plus side is that the metal strap keeps the battery secure so it doesn’t move or make noise on bad roads or speed bumps.

Lastly, there's a “Limp Home” function that allows riders to cover a distance of 10 kilometres when the battery level falls to 10 percent.

The e-scooter comes with a padded seat but the soft suspension with very little travel means that the overall ride experience is very uncomfortable. The handlebar is placed within reach but the floorboard is a bit high and makes the scooter feel a bit cramped even for riders who are of average height. The horn is placed in an odd position, right above the left-side turn indicator, which requires the rider to readjust your left hand. The brake lever’s sharp edges can cause discomfort when on long rides.

The Ampere Magnus EX is powered by a hub motor that produces a peak power of 1.8kW. The scooter has two riding modes: Eco and City along with an additional reverse mode. You can easily ride the scooter comfortably in slow and medium-speed traffic,but the lack of performance overall will leave you wanting for more speed. The Magnus EX takes 7.48 seconds to reach 40kmph, that too with a 57kg test rider. This makes it one of the slowest electric scooters we have tested. The lack of roll-on-acceleration is also an issue which takes away from the riding experience overall, and riders will have to plan overtakes in advance.

The electric scooter doesn't come with strong performance but it does excel in range. In our tests the e-scooter was able to exceed the claimed 75km range in Eco mode, going as far as 83km, making it perfect for city commutes. The battery takes 5-6 hours to charge from 0-100, so you can easily charge it overnight or during the standard 7-8 hour shift at work.

The e-scooter feels lightweight and agile, making it glide through traffic easily and also makes parking the scooter an easy task. The brakes used are drum brakes, which feel good but could use a bit more bite. But overall the brakes work fine for a scooter that has a top speed of 51km. The tyres used are not very wide but do offer decent grip.

The Magnus EX is a family-centric scooter designed primarily for city use, we expected the scooter to offer a comfortable riding experience but the ride quality overall isn’t very good. The suspension is a bit too soft for Indian road conditions and lacks travel. As a result, instances of the suspension bottoming out are common even when the rider weighs around 75kg. The scooter overall provides a bumpy and jittery riding experience.

The Ampere Magnus EX is an entry-level e-scooter, and though it doesn’t match conventional petrol powered scooters when it comes to performance it is still a good option for someone who is looking for an affordable electric scooter. The simple design and lightweight build makes it a good choice for daily commutes.

But there are quite a few areas in which Ampere could improve, the main ones being quality, fit and finish levels along with comfort and performance. While the scooter is decent, the Ola S1 X+ feels like a better choice as it is also much cheaper.