Oh, I though Chetak has hub motor. Haven’t observed it clearly 
Reviews are finally out
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A small but important thing: While a lot of reviews for iQube seem to have come out today (with them unanimously stating that this is near, but not on par Ather’s performance at all ), one thing that really struck me was that its payload capacity is only 130 kgs. Is this normal?
For me this is concerning because accounting for my weight - which is average for someone who is 6 ft tall - it can take another person weighing around 45 to 50 kgs only. So two grown men cannot ride this together then?
The below video at the selected time states the payload:
They quote the gradeabilty also at just 10 degrees. That’s a bit alarming too. Doesn’t seem like it’s got the torque of a true EV. I guess only time will tell. I wish test rides were available throughout Bengaluru. I think the accessibility of the Chetak in KTM centres will put Bajaj at an advantage.
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True. As some reviewers have rightly pointed out, if you are one for retro and chic looks (and lower pricing), then Chetak is for you; if you are for performance and specs, then Ather 450X is for you; but if you need something in the middle both in terms of design and performance for a decent price, then iQube is for you.
I guess this is how eventually the 3 brands will carve out a niche market for themselves…
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What’s the payload capacity of 450?
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I’m assuming there is an official source out there somewhere, but according to some reports, the mode ranges shown by Ather are calculated for an assumed payload of 175 kg, so I guess it is safe to assume the maximum capacity has to be a number north of that!
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Just found out that anyone can steal your charging cable and that fixing a rear tyre puncture if on shoulder or sidewall and replacing the tyre would require a lot of time and specialist skills.
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Seems like you will have some more buyers lined up for the 450x 
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Their RnD guy probably owns a 450 too…
My review of the TVS iQube ( ~5 Minute read)
For review scroll down to the first image
After the launch early last year, I really wanted to test ride the TVS iQube. Then came you know who and post lockdown, I reached out to TVS suryapratap, which was the closest showroom to my house, by close I mean 26Km 
. For some reason TVS decided to launch the scooter only in Bangalore and only in East Bangalore. Making it even harder for people to try the scooter out. I visited their website, it said ,they offer doorstep test rides upto 25Km from the showroom. So I asked TVS to please give me a test ride and they agreed. But whne the executive in charge of riding it to my house called me to find out where I live, he told me hell get back and I Never heard from him again. After a few weeks I tried to book another test ride. And to my surprise the website had been changed to offering test rides 5Kn from the showroom 
.
The showroom is 26Km from my house and I didn’t know if I could make the round trip on my Ather comfortably. Especially after lockdown when I was pinning the throttle every chance I got to get out my house. Today I finally had some free time and was closer to KR puram, 15 Km from it, but still, closer. So I decided to call them up and ask them to arrange a test ride. They said no at first due to a lack of an executive, and then I pleaded with them and they finally agreed. I made the ride hoping I’ll have 55-60% left when I reach there. I made it there with about 72% left on my Ather 
. I went in and asked for a test ride. They gave me a key and apologised that there’s no one to help me with the product cuz ONLY ONE person in the showrroom knows something about the iQube 
they took my DL and just gave me the key and didn’t say a word.
Design
Absolutely subjective. I understand. I don’t like the design. But I don’t hate it. It doesn’t turn any heads. It’s just a regular looking 2 wheeler. Not a bad thing. Just not a stand out feature to Me, and a waste of an opportunity imo.
Ergonomics Rather good I must say! I expected a knees up uncomfortable postion. But it surprised me. The seat height is lower than athers( my athers) and the floor board is not too high. The seating posture(seat to floorboard height ) is just between Chetak and Ather 450, with chetak having the best ergonomics.
Features Under seat storage is decent- will fit a half helmet.
Dashboard
Feels a lot like an afterthought. It feels like a display sticking out of the dash. Nevertheless it’s a nice crisp colour display. Bright enough. Tad bit lower brightness than athers dash. There an SOC indicator and a range indicator. One ODO and trip meters. Which I didn’t know how to reset. No efficiency indicator at all. It’s got a reverse mode. Decent. Not as much torque as Ather offers.
Performance
This was the main reason I wanted a test ride. A 1.15Lakh scooter with a hub motor. Didn’t interest me at all. But they claimed a top speed of 78kmph at their launch. More than chetak claims. Then I learnt that it’s a Bosch motor, which made it a tad bit more believable. So there were 2 modes. I decided to use the sport mode and guess what. I was gladly surprised. I did not expect this sort of performance at all. See for yourself
I couldn’t find a road with a steep incline. Just short stretches. Of on ramps and the motor performed exceptionally for a hub motor. I’m not comparing it to the 450. When the iQube released. Nobody wanted to even consider it since the 450 was cheaper and more powerful. With the 450X and the discontinuation of the 450, the iQube is a promising scooter at its price point. I did find a road with maybe 2% incline and this was the performance
The ride is absolutely silent. Not even a whine. Absolutely nothing. I could hear only a bit of the tyre noise and nothing else. The camera did pick up a ton of wind noise. But that’s not the only thing that surprised me. This scooter has some serious Regenerative breaking. I say this after having ridden the chetak and the 450, 450X and a few Chinese EVs. Chetak is just behind the regen performance. So at high speeds > 45-50kmph the regen on the iQube is just as much as the Ather and lesser than chetak. But it gets activated automatically as you release the throttle. But what stands out is. The regen works at <95% charge and what’s even better is, it works till 5kmph speed and the regen at <30kmph is quite strong. Absolutely perfect for city riding. And the thing is, TVS plans to add fast charging since the hardware is already on the scooter to support fast charging. That leads me to believe that all the energy from the regen is actually being put back into the battery. Here’s a video do the regen. Might not look like it’s decelerating a lot but it was a decline of maybe 2-3%
Range
This could be where the iQube fails to deliver. But it’s a mixed bag of conclusions. From what I gather. The iQube comes with an installed capacity of over 2.6kWh with a usable capacity of 2.2kWh. The huge buffer is probably because of the split battery design. Giving both of them a good buffer. More than what chetak can say. So in the long run whatever range it does give. Even if it’s low. Will last a pretty good number of years. (I HOPE) But from what I was riding.
99% charge ( 54Km range in sports mode) 3.1Km ride. Lost 8% charge For 2.6Km riding I lost 7% range and 3 Km do range. I think that’s okay since I was on full throttle most of the time and I think I was able to do the rest 400m at just 1% charge because of regen. I really wish Ather had regen this strong.
Suspension
Love it. It’s soft. Not firm like Ather. Not short travel like chetak. It’s perfect. The dual rear suspension is brilliant. Not Ather level monoshock brilliant but good for the city not agressive. .the unsprung mass of the motor is not really noticeable. But don’t know how it’ll be in the long run.
Conclusion
When the 450 was around. The iQube made NO SENSE. With the 450 gone. I see it as a really good product. There are rumors that it’s a Chinese assembled by TVS scooter. I don’t believe it. It shares too much with the Jupiter. Riding dynamics and looks and suspension. For 1.15L it’s a good buy. 2.2kWh battery should get you 60Km. Quite easily in the city. But idk how the new pricing of the iQube will be. So the value depends on that.
My ride back
Iwas about to leave when I saw an iqube lined up for delivery and another Ather
I left TVS with72% battery. And decided to cruise on ringroad. The longer way back but the faster one. I maintained 55-60kmph and 50kmph when I saw cops. And I reached home with 40% battery still left. I was shocked with this sort of range. Never gotten this sort of range on such a long ride even after cruising at 60kmph for 10+Km
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I got pin to pin information about iqube 
TVS iQube is now available in 5 more cities (Surat, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Vishakapatnam, and Hyderabad). With these 5 cities, it’s now available in 11 cities. TVS also announced that they will expand it to another 25 cities by the end of this month and pan-India by 31st of March 2022.
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I think the real competition is just getting started. TVS iQube is offering competitive features like geo-fencing, navigation to parked location of the vehicle, idle mode, regen info on dashboard, music playback with volume control, etc
Connectivity Features (including Alexa) -
Real Range (Claimed) -
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Glad to see TVS coming up with a significant upgrade at a good price. One good thing is: they retained key features including Peak power similar across variants.
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I think tvs just got even smarter than Ather
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TVS actually launched a game-changing vehicle with little fanfare. The base variant has got a big battery upgrade from 2.6 kWh to 3.4 kWh battery. Usable capacity increased from 2.25 kWh to 3.04 kWh. The true range increased from 75 km to 100 km. The price stayed the same despite this huge upgrade.
The new variant iQube ST has the biggest battery capacity for any 2-wheeler in the country. It comes with a 5.1 kWh battery out of which 4.56 kWh is usable capacity.
All the new batteries use 21700 Li-Ion cells.
TVS iQube (base variant):
- 3.4 kWh battery (3.04 kWh usable)
- 100 km true range.
- 5-inch screen (non-touch).
This is a huge upgrade from the existing iQube which has a 2.25 kWh usable battery and 75 km true range.
TVS iQube S:
- 3.4 kWh battery (3.04 kWh usable).
- 100 km true range.
- 7-inch screen (5-way joystick, non-touch).
- Music control and Incognito mode, themes, proactive notifications, etc…
TVS iQube ST: 5.1 kWh battery (4.56 kWh usable). 145 km true range. 7-inch touch screen and joystick. 1.5KW charger option. 32 liters storage. Cruise control, keyless, TPMS are in development and will be updated through OTA.
In comparison to Ather 450X, even the base variant of iQube has a bigger battery (3.4 vs 2.9 kWh), higher range (100 km vs 85km), and is almost Rs 40K cheaper. If TVS prices the ST variant at ~1.5 lakhs, it will still be cheaper than Ather 450X and gives almost double the range. iQube ST also has much bigger battery than Ola S1 pro.
For 80% of the users, the base variant or S variant are enough in terms of range, features at good price. For the remaining people, who want much higher range, fancy features can go for ST and still probably save money (assuming TVS prices it around Rs 1.5 lakhs).
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You summed it up nicely. I too echo your thoughts.
Inspite of all the smart features, if they can deliver a reliable vehicle, this is going to be a HIT.
Recently, I happened to speak with couple of iQUBE owners on the road. Heard they are happy with regular use and the only thing they said increased range could have been better.
TVS brand is a huge factor in giving confidence. When I go to Hosur in Ather, I often get enquired about Ather 450 by near-by houses. They are sentimental about buying a TVS one in future, and still consider Ola and Ather as alien brands.
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