Ampere Nexus ST Ridden: A Marked Improvement

Electric scooters have come a far way, and not just the premium ones but also the makers of affordable, low cost options. Buyers are seeking substance and quality as well from their purchases, not just cost effectiveness. Hence, you notice the manufacturers stepping up their game. Like Ampere, whose Nexus e-scooter happens to be the most premium one of its portfolio and is aiming to compete with the likes of the Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube and Ather Rizta. Is it a good scooter and a worthy challenger in the electric space?

Stylish Yet Simple

Ampere has gone for a sleek and stylish yet conservative design approach. It doesn’t seem flashy by any stretch of the imagination with neat panel fittings all around. The scooter doesn’t appear to be too boxy, with a lot of nicely flowing panels. And as a family scooter, it does have that pleasing undertone for all members who are going to use the scooter.

The LED headlight might have a weird internal design but it works well for the most part. The screen is also bright and easily readable with a fair few connectivity features thrown into the mix on the top ST trim. We didn’t quite like the switchgear as the buttons are far too many and not spaced out. They lack tactility and overall feel confusing. This could have been kept simple with conventional options rather than deciding to reinvent the wheel so to say.

Easy Commute-friendly Ergos

Ampere has done a rather fine job of making the Nexus light and accessible for all members of the family. It has a nice riding posture that doesn’t make you feel cramped or cause any sort of bother with enough seating as well as floor space for large riders. It is not too heavy either, so moving it around in the parking lot is not much of a fight.

A concern is that the storage space is rather lacking. Because Ampere wanted to make a compact and stylish e-scooter, there is pretty less space to store your stuff. And if you are always going to carry your charger with the scooter, then there is even less area to work with.

Quick Enough

There is a 3.3 kW mid-mounted motor on the Nexus that puts out a peak power of 4 kW. This helps the scooter reach a top speed of 93 kmph in Power mode. There are two other modes, City and Eco, that vary power delivery and overall performance.

The Nexus can easily get up to 45-50 kmph rather neatly and has enough to make overtakes rapidly as well. It is not the quickest or the most exciting e-scooter that we have ridden but it is one of the most sensible ones. Hence, even though there is a Power riding mode on the Nexus, the performance on hand is not that enthralling. So, it is wiser to stick to City riding mode and generate a good balance of usable performance and range. Eco mode feels lethargic and boring, something that you should only use when your battery is nearly drained out.

The company claims the Nexus will do 136 km in a single-charge in real-world riding conditions in Eco mode. However, in our experience, expect it to be lower. Riding it primarily in the City riding mode, which should give you 85 km on a full charge, it returned roughly 75 km only. Hence, expect nothing more than 120 km if you are going to be riding it very efficiently and conservatively. A full battery charge takes a little over three hours and it can be charged via a standard 15 A socket.

Comfy For The Most Part

The Nexus does a good job of isolating the unruly road surfaces that you might ride on. It takes on the larger bumps neatly but over the small sharp ones or the extremely jarring rumble strips does the scooter shudder a lot. And while it does not feel firm at all, we would have liked a little more initial suppleness from the suspension so as to make commutes slightly less taxing.

You can expect neutral handling from the Nexus. Riding it around the city doesn’t feel challenging and it goes through traffic in a rather chilled manner. The tyres are geared towards better range and hence, will not be the best suited during spirited moments. Stopping performance is good for the kind of performance on hand with decent progression and feel at the levers. CBS adds another layer of safety on the Nexus.

Finally Good, But Still Room For Improvement

It is good to see Indian manufacturers stepping up their game and Ampere must be commended on its progress. The Nexus is certainly a marked improvement over its other products and is a rather likeable electric scooter. It has good city mannerisms and doesn’t come across as cheap or crashy. Yes, the overall touch and feel of the Nexus doesn’t feel as premium as the Chetak, iQube or Rizta and the storage space issue is one that needs solving.

And considering the asking price of ₹ 1.10 lakh for the base model and the ST model, which we have on test, attracting an additional ₹ 10,000 for the fancy features, is pushing its proposition towards the premium rung of electric scooters that we have just mentioned. And that's where the Nexus feels a bit out of place. Because while this is certainly a better product than what Ampere has ever made, recommending it over the competition is tough to do.