TVS Orbiter will be the latest entrant in the sub Rs 1 lakh price segment which already has the likes of Vida VX2, Ola S1X and Chetak 3001.
TVS Motor Company will launch the all-new Orbiter electric scooter tomorrow in the Indian market. Being the company’s entry-level e-scooter, it will be positioned below the iQube in the TVS portfolio. The Orbiter will be a mass-market low-cost electric scooter which is likely to be priced below Rs 1 lakh as it rivals Vida VX2, Ola S1X and Chetak 3001 in the domestic market. Though there are no spy images of the upcoming TVS electric scooter on the web, we expect it to be a no-nonsense model with ordinary features.
TVS Orbiter will come with a plain and practical design with no extravagant flair. Since it will be an affordable offering, we can expect the Orbiter to come with basic features in order to keep the pricing aggressive. Some of the advanced connectivity features that we have seen in the iQube will not be available with the Orbiter.
The electric scooter is expected to get a LED headlamp, regenerative braking, ride modes and digital instrument cluster. It is not confirmed yet, but in all likelihood, the Orbiter will use a hub-mounted electric motor, sourced from Bosch. It could borrow the 2.2 kWh battery pack from the iQube to deliver a range of 75-80 km in a single charge.
TVS is the only mainstream EV player in the Indian market which doesn’t have presence in the sub Rs 1 lakh segment. Hero retails the Vida VX2 at Rs 99,490 without the BaaS subscription while Ola S1X is priced at Rs 79,499 and Rs 92,499 for the 2 kWh and 3 kWh battery, respectively. Bajaj too recently launched the Chetak 3001 at Rs 99,990 in the domestic market. All the prices mentioned before are ex-showroom.
The sub Rs 1 lakh segment of electric scooters has gained immense popularity in the last few months. Hence, TVS is eyeing this segment with the Orbiter with a target of increasing its market share in the e2w segment in the Indian market. Amidst the tough competition, aggressive price would be the key to Orbiter’s success in this segment.
TVS retails the iQube with multiple battery packs namely 2.2 kWh, 3.1 kWh, 3.5 kWh and 5.3 kWh which return a range of 94 km, 123 km, 145 km and 212 km, respectively on a single charge. TVS iQube comes in a price range of Rs 1.07-1.61 lakh (ex-showroom, Bengaluru). It has been topping the list of highest-selling electric scooters for the last few months, leaving behind the likes of Ola S1, Ather Rizta, Vida V1, and Bajaj Chetak.
