Ampere Nexus first ride, review: This made-in-India electric scooter has a claimed range of 136km!

The Greaves Cotton-owned electric two-wheeler brand has a new flagship model. It's called the Ampere Nexus and has been developed, designed and made completely in India. Does it have the chops to hold its own in a competitive segment? We took it out for a spin recently to find out!

The two-wheeler electric evolution continues to grow stronger, as we have an all-new electric scooter that has been completely developed and made in India. Say hello to the Ampere Nexus. This one here is the top-of-the-line ST variant. Now, if you’re wondering Ampere is a Greaves Cotton-owned brand, which also sells other two and three-wheeler electric vehicles.

Clearly, Ampere and Greaves do have some skin in the electric game. The Nexus, in that regard, serves as its flagship two-wheeler electric model, and we’re here to see if it deserves that title. So, without further ado, let's take a look at all the important details of this scooter, like its design and features.

What all does it get?

Let’s talk about that simple and clean design aesthetics, which I have to say I appreciate. Ampere has ensured this appeals to those looking for a tasteful and family-oriented electric scooter. There are no visible nuts and bolts anywhere on the body, and it gets neat touches like flush rear foot pegs and a piano-black finish on the switchgear.

The only issue with the switchgear is that it takes a little time to get used while using it on the move. That’s because they aren’t conventional switches like most other scooters. One can even connect their smartphone via Bluetooth and the Ampere Connect app. Apart from that, the main highlight has to be the 7-inch TFT colour display, which is rich in terms of graphics and functionality.

There's a glove box in the front apron, which is quite deep and spacious along with a luggage hook. The floorboard is 235mm in length and feels quite generous too, however, the same cannot be said about the 24-litre boot space. Sure, it can fit a full-face helmet, but there isn’t any space to store the 15-amp charger. That charger, by the way, can fully charge the Nexus in about 3 and a half hours.

Other highlights on the Nexus include the LED lighting all around, quilted seat and air ducts for the air-cooled battery pack. We feel the Ampere Nexus looks quite good in the flesh, especially in this Zanskar Aqua paint job.

How is it to ride?

First things first, the Nexus is powered by a mid-mounted motor that has a peak power output of 4kW and is housed inside the unique hybrid swingarm. It comes with a 3kWh LFP battery pack, which has a claimed range of 136km. There are five riding modes available, but do note that one of them is the Park mode, according to Ampere. Broadly speaking, there’s Eco mode, City mode and Power mode. Eco mode gives you maximum range and a top speed of about 45kmph. City mode unlocks a little more grunt but top speed is restricted to about 65kmph. Power mode unleashes the Nexus’ full potential and is the only way to get to the claimed top speed of 93kmph.

One thing I have to say though, the Nexus feels extremely planted at any given speed. The power delivery in all modes is progressive and smooth. There are no jolts or sudden bursts of acceleration here, and that I feel is a good thing. However, the ride quality isn’t the same over bad roads. The Nexus tends to jitter on undulations and the suspension setup feels stiff here. In terms of handling, Ampere’s flagship scooter feels predictable and not razor sharp, which it isn’t meant to either way.

One slight issue I felt while riding was that the TFT screen seemed to be angled too far upwards rather than facing towards the rider. In terms of the rider triangle, the seating position feels ever so slightly knees up, but it isn’t too bad. The Nexus gets a disc brake at the front and a drum at the back, and in all honesty performance isn’t too great. Pressing down on the brake levers doesn’t do anything for the most part, and then has to be clamped down hard to get the Nexus to a standstill.

The grip from the tyres is acceptable, and cutting through traffic in the Nexus doesn’t feel cumbersome. Apart from this, the seat cushioning feels fairly comfortable, even for longer stints. On the whole, there are some things the Ampere Nexus does extremely well, but there is room for improvement on some fronts.

Verdict

Time for a summary. The Nexus comes in two variants - ES and ST, both of which are priced at Rs 1.10 lakh and Rs 1.20 lakh (ex-showroom). In terms of pricing, it’s pretty much at par with its rivals. Now, Ampere has a healthy 400 showrooms across India, which means getting this to customers in most parts of the country isn’t going to be an issue either.

There’s a lot to appreciate about the Nexus, the design language, the nature of the power delivery, seat comfort and riding position. But, it can do some things slightly better too, as we’ve mentioned earlier. There’s no doubt that Ampere has a solid product in the Nexus, but I feel it needs to improve the experience just a little more to hit that sweet spot.

Specifications:

Peak power - 4kW
Battery pack - 3kWh LFP battery pack
Claimed range - 136km
Five riding modes
Claimed top speed - 93kmph
Variants - ES and ST
Price (ES) - Rs 1.10 lakh (ex-showroom)
Price (ST) - Rs 1.20 lakh (ex-showroom)
Colour options - Zanskar Aqua, Indian Red, Lunar White and Steel Grey