Jolted by the exclusion from subsidies under the FAME-II scheme, Greaves Electric Mobility’s two-wheeler brand Ampere has struggled to build momentum over the last 12 months, ceding ground to other startups and legacy players. The company is now betting big on its upcoming scooter, which is set to be named the Ampere Nexus, and will be launched in India on April 30. The Nexus will be the first premium electric scooter from Ampere – which has so far largely limited itself to budget models – and is expected to be the most feature-rich Ampere offering yet. This one is almost certainly a crucial launch for Ampere, which also recently witnessed the departure of its CEO, Sanjay Behl, who has now been replaced by K Vijaya Kumar.
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The Ampere Nexus was preceded by the Ampere NXG concept, which debuted at the 2023 Auto Expo, but while it will retain some design and styling cues from the NXG, it will drop some of the concept’s showfloor touches – gone is the single-sided swing arm, and in its place comes a conventional swing arm. The Nexus sticks to the tried-and-tested formula of a family-focused electric scooter, featuring a telescopic fork and dual rear shock absorbers. The form factor, too, isn’t too far removed from that of other Ampere scooters, and the company claims the Nexus will have the largest seat in its class. The emphasis on the size of the seat isn’t new – Ather Energy, too, has been busy talking up the length of its Rizta e-scooter’s seat, in a bid to draw the family scooter buyer.
In top-spec guise, the Nexus will feature a front disc brake, alloy wheels and a large, full-colour display on the dash. However, this is not likely to be a touchscreen, but a regular screen with controls mounted on the handlebar. The Nexus will also feature buttons to activate the turn indicators, instead of conventional switches. It will also have a passive cooling system for the battery, motor and motor controller, with air channelled from the front of the scooter being guided through the frame to exit the scooter from vents at the rear.
The Nexus will have a top speed of around 90 kmph.
The Nexus will be equipped with a fixed battery pack, which is expected to be in the range of 2.5 to 3 kWh, and will get a mid-mounted permanent magnet motor, which is likely to deliver somewhere between 4 to 6 kW of peak power. The Ampere Nexus will have four ride modes, and in the mode that unlocks full power, it is set to achieve a top speed of around 90 kmph. Range remains a question mark, but we expect it to be somewhere between 110 to 140 kilometres (IDC).
With no subsidy available, the Ampere Primus currently costs Rs 1.46 lakh (ex-showroom), and with the launch of the Nexus, it is likely to be pulled off sale altogether. The Nexus, which is likely to be offered in multiple variants, is expected to be priced between Rs 1.30-Rs 1.50 lakh (ex-showroom).
