TVS iQube Electric: Pros, Cons, Should You Buy One?

We list down the iQube’s positives and negatives that’ll help you gauge the scooter’s performance

TVS introduced the iQube Electric to take on the neo-retro Bajaj Chetak and the benchmark-setting Ather 450X. While the scooter itself is pretty impressive it isn’t without its chinks. We’ve penned down a couple of positives and negatives that should give you a better understanding of the scooter’s performance and help you make an informed decision if you intend to buy one.

Pros:

Powerful hub motor:

The placement of the electric motor in the rear wheel ensures you have a surge of power every time you whack open the throttle. There’s little to no lag, which means the iQube pulls from 0-78kmph without throwing a fit. It’s also extremely refined and silent. Traits of an excellent e-scooter.

Features Q-park:

The iQube comes with ‘Q-park Assist’ which is similar to reverse mode seen on most electric two-wheelers. However, this feature has two modes instead of one - reverse to forward. To activate Q-park Assist, all you need to do is pull the rear brake and hold the mode button for about three seconds. A single push of the button switches between the two modes. The forward function is capped at 6kmph while reverse is limited to 3kmph, a nifty feature that will prove to be quite useful in tight parking spaces or inclines. 

Well-balanced suspension setup:

The iQube may borrow its suspension setup from the TVS Jupiter, but it’s been tweaked to handle the extra weight of the batteries, of which there are three. It’s well-balanced, which means it not only glides over speed breakers and potholes but it's also poised in mid-corner bumps.

Cons:

Annoying startup tune:

Every time you thumb the start button, the scooter plays an annoying tune which sounds very much like the one on Aquaguards. The tune essentially notifies the rider that the scooter is ready to go. 

The raised floorboard:

One of the three batteries is placed under the floorboard, which means it sits higher than the average ICE powered scooters. Basically, taller riders will find their legs fouling with the handlebar while making tight U-turns.

Doesn’t support fast charging, yet.

The iQube currently doesn’t support fast charging, which would have made life a lot simpler by cutting down charge times to less thann half. However, TVS did mention the iQube can and will support fast charging in the near future. It already meets the requirements to do so.

Should You Buy One?

We were thoroughly impressed with the iQube when we first rode it on TVS’ very own test track. It’s fast, practical and packs a ton of features which makes life a lot simpler. Yes, it has a few chinks which need to be ironed out, but it isn’t a deal-breaker in any way. At 1.15 lakh (on-road) the iQube offers exceptional value for money and definitely worth considering.