Ampere Magnus G Max

In the world of affordable electric family scooters, the Ampere Nexus G-Max is an electric scooter that aims to be a great option for families and small business owners that are looking for a no-frills daily runabout. It claims to offer everything a family scooter should have: good looks, great practicality, sufficient performance and ultra comfort. Here is what we think about it:

The Ampere Nexus Gmax looks welcoming and easy on the eye. The brown seat adds a layer of classiness with three colour options on offer: Monsoon Blue, Matcha Green and Cinnamon Copper. 

There are panel gaps that exist that take away from the scooter’s feel marginally. The switchgear and plastic quality are adequate, reflecting the fact that the scooter is built to a price.

The Magnus Gmax isn't the most feature-rich scooter on the market and gets a fairly basic equipment list. The 3.5-inch LCD console shows range, state of charge, speed, trip A and B, and ride mode. There is no variant where you would get Bluetooth connectivity. To add to it, the console is hard to read under direct sunlight. Braking duties are handled by drum brakes at both ends, with no disc brake option available.

With 33-litres of boot space, the Magnus Gmax can easily accommodate two half-face helmets. The floorboard isn't particularly spacious enough to comfortably fit riders with large feet. There's an open glove box where you can conveniently keep small essentials like your key, wallet, or phone. But be vigilant, as it can fall out at high speeds or bumpy roads.

Rider Comfort
Ampere offers a very soft and plush seat on the GMax, which feels very comfy on short trips. Shorter riders will find the reach to the bars a bit more forwards than a typical scooter, which makes you extend your upper body slightly. Hence, these two parameters might just become taxing if your primary intention with the scooter is to spend long hours in the saddle. 

Pillion Comfort

The pillion gets more than enough space to sit comfortably. The seat is flat and not too high, so hopping on is not an issue. The footpegs are positioned neatly as well, giving it a very comfy pillion seating stance.

The Ampere Magnus G Max is powered by a 3kWh LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery, with a claimed certified range of 142km. The claimed real-world range of the scooter is around 100km in Eco mode. The scooter is driven by a hub-mounted electric motor that produces 1.5kW of nominal power, and 2.4kW peak.

Performance

Ampere’s intention with the Magnus Gmax was to offer a simple and effective riding experience. As a result, the performance feels reasonable, not exciting. It gets two riding modes: Eco and Power. Usability in Eco mode becomes an issue as it cannot keep up with city traffic speeds safely. You will have to remain in Power mode for most times. It is best that you keep Eco mode to simply conserve battery and reach your charging destination.

Power mode amps up the response as it can easily sustain 50kmph with enough headroom to make critical overtakes in the city. It will consume a bit more battery in the process but what you get is an experience like a traditional 110cc scooter. Throttle calibration, though, should be improved. There is a noticeable delay in the operation, which makes it a bit tricky in slow traffic or when taking U-turns. 

Range and Charge Time

The IDC range of the Gmax is 142km. In our real-world test, the 3kWh LFP battery returned 81km on a single charge with 4% battery still remaining. The last couple of percentages was a challenge as it began reducing power considerably. One should expect closer to the 100km mark if ridden a bit more conservatively.

Charging times are long, though. A full charge needs 7 hours, which means that you will have to plug your scooter at night almost every other day for a full charge. There is no fast charging option either.

Ampere has tuned the front fork and twin shocks for a soft and mushy ride. As a result, it soaks up any obstacles in its path with ease. This does tend to become wishy-washy when carrying extra load or at speed. Hence, keeping a moderate pace should do the trick. If you cannot manage to reduce the load on the scooter, you are bound to bottom out the suspension over the really large bumps. This is something to be cautious about during regular rides.

The Ampere Magnus Gmax is quite manageable, making lane changes feel effortless and filtering through traffic notably easy. It feels stable and reassuring with the tyres providing just enough grip for everyday riding conditions.

However, braking performance is not impressive. Since there is no disc brake at either end, stopping the Gmax will need some planning. The front drum brakes feel almost non-existent, forcing you to rely a lot more on the rear ones, which do their task reasonably well. This will cause some tyre lock-ups and as a result might scare the newbie riders. 

With a limited set of features, beginner-friendly performance and decent real-world range, this scooter manages to justify its price tag of Rs 97,499 (ex-showroom, inclusive of subsidy). 
What helps the e-scooter’s case even further is that Ampere is offering a warranty on the battery for 75,000km or 5 years.

In the sub-Rs 1 lakh segment, there are quite a lot of e-scooters. But the Ampere Magnus G Max rivals the TVS Orbiter, the newly launched Bajaj Chetak C25, and the Ola S1 X.