TVS Orbiter

While the TVS Orbiter looks very tempting on paper, riding it reveals a few secrets. Do read the review carefully if you are interested in buying it.

A low-cost electric scooter always gets a lot of attention. The concept of a cheap-to-buy-and-run scooter will interest everyone. But often low-cost electric scooters come with a lot of compromises. They look weird, the quality is usually poor, they are not very practical, and they are sluggish to ride. This is exactly what TVS wants to change with the Orbiter. This Rs 1 lakh scooter looks funky, gets good features, and offers tonnes of storage. Can it finally become a no-compromise low-cost electric scooter for the fast EV-adapting India?

Design

The first thing you notice about the Orbiter is the size. It's a compact scooter and doesn't look as big as it does in the photos. But because its design is very square, and a big flyscreen sits upright in the front, it has good road presence. It definitely doesn't look low-cost. In fact, it looks very funky and cool.

The elements are thoroughly modern and non-affordable too. The connected DRLs look cool and double up as indicators. The tail lamp also looks like connected car lights, and once again the indicators are well integrated. The only thing that looks a bit off is the scooter from the rear. The low seat height and the compact tail set make it look small. However, this will also look approachable to newer riders, giving them more confidence.

Another quirky element of this scooter is the grab rails. Depending on the color, you either get modern-looking grab rails or very simple ones. TVS says you will have the choice at the dealership to select the one you want, but this does feel a bit over the top.

Colours

With the Orbiter, you get these six color options — Neon Sunburst, Stratos Blue, Lunar Grey, Martian Copper, Cosmic Titanium, and Stellar Silver. Out of these, only the Neon Sunburst looks appealing. The matte colours look too dull, and the other gloss ones do not stand out at all.

Wheels

The TVS Orbiter gets a 14-inch front wheel but a 12-inch rear. Tyre sizes are 90/80 - 14 and 90/90 - 12 for front and back, respectively. The advantage that the 14-inch front brings is better stability and comfort. Even the front alloy design looks quite good, and the rear wheels still have the hub-mounted electric motor.

Quality
The TVS Orbiter has good quality for the price. However, there are a few elements that look out of place. All the nuts — even the ones on the front windscreen and the floorboard — are exposed. They should have at least covered these with plastic caps. Then comes the switchgear, which is quite average, and mostly all plastics feel thin and flimsy. While the overall build feels good, these elements take the perceived quality down.

Safety Features

Given that this is a low-cost scooter, there are compromises. In terms of safety, you do not get a disc brake at all. This does take away a bit from braking confidence. Both the front and rear are drum brakes and get a combi braking system. A good thing is that there is a hill hold which works well and can be switched off if you find it intrusive.

Convenience Features

Cruise control. I do not understand the fascination manufacturers have with cruise control on low-speed vehicles. The only possible explanation is that it is fairly easy and affordable to execute. But the Orbiter gets it, and it works flawlessly between 25 to 60 kmph.

The 5.5-inch colored LCD cluster looks par-for-the-course. It is a clear display with the vital information clearly visible. However, the brightness is on the lower side. It gets a tonne of features though. It has Bluetooth with turn-by-turn navigation, incoming call alert, distance to empty, and battery charge status. It also gets connected features which enable remote monitoring of the vehicle health status, live location, nearby charging stations, and OTA updates. Furthermore, you will get alerts on your phone for phone anti-theft, towing, and time-fencing and geo-fencing. If you crash, the scooter will send your live location to a preset number, and the motor will be cut off to stop any further mishaps. For a low-cost scooter, this is more than enough kit.

Underseat Storage

34 litres is a healthy number for understated storage, and it mostly translates to practical space with the Orbiter in the real world. Two half-face helmets sit comfortably in it, and if you have neither, it will gobble kilos of groceries without any effort. But keep in mind that it is not very deep. So if there is a thick laptop bag or a full-face helmet, it will take some muscle to shut the boot. If only there were a boot light here to make it more accessible at night.

Floorboard Space

This floorboard is really very spacious and has been designed in a very square shape to accommodate large objects like suitcases or delivery bags easily.

Hooks and Other Storage Options
The front apron gets a bag hook with a 3 kg capacity. But this hook feels a bit flimsy.

Rider Comfort

The Orbiter has been aimed at those people who are learning to ride a scooter for the first time. And that is why TVS has kept the seat height low and handlebar reach short. I (5 feet 7 inches) am able to get my feet down easily. The scooter also feels very light, which makes moving it in the parking lot very simple. You also get a reverse mode to further help the parking situation. The riding posture is also very neutral with a low floorboard and a wide handlebar. This puts you in a commanding posture.

Pillion Comfort

The long seat offers a lot of space for the pillion to get comfortable. The foot pegs are also well placed, which means city rides will be seamless. The grab rails feel natural to hold, the old-school ones more than the fancy ones.

Motor

The TVS Orbiter is a low-speed scooter with the top speed capped at 65 kmph. The motor makes 2.5 kW and you have two ride modes — Eco and City.

City Performance

The only place the Orbiter is meant to be ridden is the city. And for that, it gets a smooth and linear throttle response. The Eco mode is limited to 45 kmph, and it dulls down the acceleration further. For laid-back commuting, this mode is fine. But don't expect to overtake anyone on the road. The City mode takes the top speed cap up to 65 kmph, and now you can make some overtakes. The scooter will not feel fast or enjoyable to ride, but it will feel safe and easy.

Highway Performance

Please, do not take this scooter out on the highway. The top-speed cap makes it dangerous to be around heavy vehicles which are doing higher speeds. The scooter starts to get pushed around by wind, and the speed difference makes the experience scary.

Range and Charge Time

If you ride the Orbiter comfortably in the real world, it will give you about 100 km of range. And if you ride it a bit fast, the range can come down to 88–89 km. The charging time is a bit slow, as you don't get an option for a fast charger at all. The standard charger will charge it from your home socket and will take 4.5 hours for a full charge. All of this works fine if you have average daily usage. But I would have liked the Orbiter to come with an on-board charger placed inside the body so you wouldn't have to carry the bulky charging box in the boot.

The Orbiter, with its 14–12-inch wheel setup, feels confident to ride. It feels very light and agile and will feel very effortless to ride for someone who is saddling up for the first time.

Brakes

While the scooter does not come with disc brakes, the brakes on the new scooter felt strong. But disc brakes, without a doubt, would have felt stronger and more confident.

Ride Quality

While a test track is not a place to test ride quality, our little experience on speed breakers reassured us that the Orbiter is a very comfort-oriented scooter. It will deal with city conditions well.

The TVS Orbiter is not a general or holistic family scooter. It's meant for two very specific uses, and if you use it for anything else, it will feel out of place. First up, new riders under 18 years of age. The Orbiter qualifies to be ridden by people with a special license who are not yet 18 years of age because of the capped top speed and motor output. Second, it is also a good option for delivery agents who want a very practical scooter with a good city range. In these cases, the performance cap won’t cause any issues, and the ride will always feel safe. TVS has brought in a lower variant of the Orbiter, called the V1. It can either be bought outright or with Battery as a Service (BaaS) wherein the prices start from Rs 49,000 (effective ex-showroom). Check out our detailed variants explainer of the TVS Orbiter range.

For a family scooter, the features are limited, dimensions are compact, and performance is too low. It simply won’t deliver an all-round experience. Nevertheless, it still is a good-quality low-cost scooter — something a lot of people have been eyeing.