TVS Motor Company has just launched the Orbiter all-electric scooter in India. Priced at Rs 1 lakh (ex-showroom, Bengaluru, including PM E-Drive subsidy), this is now the most affordable offering in TVS’s lineup. Unlike the iQube, which is positioned as a more family-oriented offering, the Orbiter is a more utility-focused vehicle and is vastly different from the former in many aspects. Here’s how they compare with each other on paper.
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The iQube and Orbiter are poles apart when it comes to design. The Orbiter, a utility-focused offering, features a more minimalist design, omitting features such as a conventional tyre guard and exposing its rear end. The iQube, meanwhile, is more conventional in design, featuring more well-defined body panels. Unlike the Orbiter, the iQube features an apron-mounted headlamp. The Orbiter, meanwhile, has a range of multi-tone body panels, giving it a more futuristic appearance. Other changes between the duo include the presence of a 14-inch front alloy wheel on the Orbiter, which is two sizes bigger than the iQube's. The rear wheel, meanwhile, is a 12-inch unit.
On the feature front, the Orbiter only comes with a 5.5-inch colour LCD dash, but it incorporates connected features enabled via a smartphone app. The iQube, meanwhile, comes with a 5-inch TFT display. Both scooters get Bluetooth connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, and call and SMS alerts. Another feature offered on both electric scooters is hill-hold assist. The Orbiter, however, rather surprisingly, also comes with cruise control, making it the most affordable offering in India to get this feature.
Both the iQube 3.1 and the Orbiter are equipped with a 3.1 kWh battery pack, although their range figures vary. The Orbiter’s battery delivers an IDC-certified range of 158 km, while the iQube 3.1’s battery has a range of 123 km. Both scooters, when charged using a portable charger, take over 4 hours to charge from 0 to 80 per cent.
When it comes to the powertrain setup, the Orbiter is far less powerful than the iQube 3.1. The hub motor on the iQube has a peak power output of 4.4 kW (5.9 bhp), while that on the Orbiter puts out a mere 2.5 kW (3.3 bhp). The iQube 3.1 can reach top speeds of up to 82 kmph, while the Orbiter has a top speed of 68 kmph. The Orbiter has a 0-40 kmph acceleration time of 6.8 seconds, while the iQube’s acceleration figure is 4.2 kmph.
Both scooters come with a simple telescopic fork setup up front and twin shock absorbers at the rear. On the braking front, while the iQube is offered with a front disc brake and a rear drum brake, the Orbiter comes with drum brakes on both ends. At 112 kg, the Orbiter is roughly 5 kg lighter than the iQube 3.1 kWh. The Orbiter also has the larger unseat storage volume among the duo, which amounts to 34 litres, 2 litres more than the iQube. The Orbiter has 169 mm of ground clearance, 12 mm more than the iQube.
The iQube 3.1 is priced from Rs 1.10 lakh to Rs 1.12 lakh, depending on the colour option, which makes it up to Rs 12,000 more expensive than the Orbiter.
