[srini1785]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Reverse gear...parking assist

I am a bit new to modern motorcycle jargon , but how does a reverse gear and parking assist function work on a two wheeler?.

I know that in bigger HDs, there is a reverse gear. However those are huge touring machines. Reverse gear mechanism in those machines is basically the starter motor which doubles up as a reversing engine.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by srini1785

I am a bit new to modern motorcycle jargon , but how does a reverse gear and parking assist function work on a two wheeler?.

I know that in bigger HDs, there is a reverse gear. However those are huge touring machines. Reverse gear mechanism in those machines is basically the starter motor which doubles up as a reversing engine.

Being an electric vehicle, the main motor itself can turn in the reverse direction without the necessity of any separate mechanism. However when the parking assist mode is active, the speed will be limited. In my Ather 450 it is limited to 3kmph both in forward or reverse direction. I've not taken a ride in the Chetak or the iQube but the speeds will be something in that range.

[rajeshsundaram]

Hmm peculiar.





Is it only me, or any one else feel the same? iQUBE uses a hub motor very similar to the bulk imported chinese e-scooters. Looks kinda cheap, at least to me. In Chetak it is not that obvious because of the clever wheel design. But in iQUBE it sticks out like sore thumb.


Edit : Got it, it is manufactured by Bosch.


So they just got the technology from Bosch and mounted it on iQUBE chassis.

[renegade004]

Is it only me who thinks so or is the TVS iQube actually overpriced?



Also, the range of 75 km appears inadequate for places such as Delhi NCR where many people travel 40-45 km either way, to and from work.

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by rajeshsundaram

Is it only me, or any one else feel the same? iQUBE uses a hub motor very similar to the bulk imported chinese e-scooters. Looks kinda cheap, at least to me. In Chetak it is not that obvious because of the clever wheel design. But in iQUBE it sticks out like sore thumb.

Edit : Got it, it is manufactured by Bosch.
Attachment 1961406

So they just got the technology from Bosch and mounted it on iQUBE chassis.

Thanks for pointing it out. It does look like it is a hub wheel design. Bajaj chetak and Ather use belt drive coupled to an external BLDC motor. Only other maker which uses this type of design is Hero electric scooters ( read Chinese ). I am not a fan of this type of motor, even if it is from a reputed company like Bosch. Its heavy at the rear wheel and fixing punctures is a PITA. No idea why TVS chose this feature.

Only advantage for hub wheel motor would be the increased under seat storage space.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by ohaak

Also, the torque figures on the website are laughable - 140Nm torque scooter.

140Nm will be actually correct IMO. Because this torque is the torque at the wheel and this is a hub mounted motor. Ather 450 has belt drive with a transmission ratio of 7.8:1. the max motor torque is 20.5Nm which translates to 160Nm torque at wheel.
The Chetak is actually not hub mounted but it is swing arm mounted with an inbuilt gear drive of some transmission ratio. The Etergo Appscooter of Netherlands also has a motor producing 50Nm torque. the belt transmission is 2.7 making it 135Nm torque at the wheels.

Originally Posted by rajeshsundaram

Is it only me, or any one else feel the same? iQUBE uses a hub motor very similar to the bulk imported chinese e-scooters. Looks kinda cheap, at least to me. In Chetak it is not that obvious because of the clever wheel design. But in iQUBE it sticks out like sore thumb.

iQube is the only hub mounted motor actually. Chetak and Ather are not.

[fast_n_curious]

Styling wise iQube looks more appealing, but in terms of range, I think it is little short of the official range of Bajaj Chetak and is more expensive than Chetak.
Going forward the range will become the biggest deciding factor.
I sincerely hope Bajaj, TVS and Ather all bring their head and resources together to find the optimum battery technology. This will help the overall growth of the sector and each one of them will be benefitted.

[sri_tesla]

Contrary to popular misconception, Chinse electric 2 wheelers do not have any ingenious technology. Most of the local Chinese models are much inferior and made using local Chinese motors and batteries. There are few Chinese startups (ex: NIU, SuperSoco, etc...) that are available globally but they also use major components like motors from Bosch and batteries from Panasonic, LG Chem, etc... Gogoro is another startup which was started long back and they are the only company that are able to sell in large quantities. But they are confined to their home country Taiwan. They are also most likely using batteries from the likes of Panasonic or LG Chem.

Compared to the Chinese EV 2 wheelers, Indian models like Ather 450, Chetak and iQube are better in both performance and quality-wise.

[Rajeevraj]

Looks good. Looks like the Electric Two Wheeler market is beginning to take off. back to back launches from 2 of the biggest manufacturers. A lot of people are buying scooters for the smaller commutes, these electric ones from the big brands looks set to get a good chunk of that market.

[Mohitkumaar]

One thing i am unable to understand is why are these companies not launching electric versions of their established models. For example Activa or Jupiter or Ntorq or those Vespas. Along with obvious economies of scale on almost everything except drivetrain, they get readymade brand value.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by Mohitkumaar

One thing i am unable to understand is why are these companies not launching electric versions of their established models. For example Activa or Jupiter or Ntorq or those Vespas. Along with obvious economies of scale on almost everything except drivetrain, they get readymade brand value.

Frame and body panels needs to be different in order to accommodate the battery, motor, speed controller etc.

[suku_patel_22]

The wait for a good 2 wheeler with a removable battery pack continues. Charging the Chetak's, iQube's and Ather's in high rises is still an issue.

[sreeharipv]

Originally Posted by suku_patel_22

The wait for a good 2 wheeler with a removable battery pack continues. Charging the Chetak's, iQube's and Ather's in high rises is still an issue.

Wonder why you need removable battery. You don't have access to a 5 A socket at home or office? Also, how many km do you max in a single day?

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by sreeharipv

Wonder why you need removable battery. You don't have access to a 5 A socket at home or office?

Apartment owners will have difficulty charging EV's at their designated parking lots. At least for now. With a removable battery, you can just carry to your apartment and charge as per convenience on a 5A socket which is available inside our homes.

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by sreeharipv

Wonder why you need removable battery. You don't have access to a 5 A socket at home or office? Also, how many km do you max in a single day?

Having an established brand come out with a well built scooter with a removable battery would have pushed people like me (who live in rented apartments) to make the purchase.

Here more than my max kms in a day the problem is that even if it's once every week i dont want to go to the nearest public charging point and get the scooter charged when my bike can comfortably run 2 to 3 weeks on a full tank.

If my daily commute is even around 20 kms most of these scooters wouldn't make it till the weekend. No way am i going to a public charging point during the daily office grind in Bangalore.