Bgauss RUV 350 Review - First Impressions

The RUV 350 is a very different take on electric scooters by Bgauss. Does it manage to impress us? 

Action in the EV two-wheeler space has been increasing over the past few years, and this is the latest entrant. This is the Bgauss RUV 350. Now, this electric scooter doesn't look like a conventional scooter, and there is a good reason for it because Bgauss wanted to offer you the comfort of a scooter, but the ruggedness of a motorcycle, and the end result is the RUV 350. Now, before we proceed further, let me be clear that this is a first impression and not a first ride review because we hardly rode the scooter for 15 kilometers in a confined space. So let's check out what the RUV 350 has on offer.

Performance

One of the key highlights of the Bgauss RUV 350 is its motor. It's not a hub motor or a conventional side mounted motor. It is a patented technology called In-wheel Hyperdrive, in which an outside motor is driving the hub. So it's basically a combination of a hub and a conventional motor. One of the key reasons for adopting this technology is that the losses in a conventional motor because of the belt is higher. Since there is no belt drive, the efficiency of this motor is much better.

However, in terms of performance, the RUV 350 is a bit slow because it has a 0-40 kmph acceleration time of almost 6 seconds, which is pretty slow, and that too in sport mode. It has three riding modes: eco, ride, and sport. Eco mode is very limited in terms of speed. Ride is still decent for basic commuting, but it still feels very slow. My personal favorite is the sport mode, which, to be very honest, felt like a normal ride mode in a conventional electric scooter.

So in terms of performance, the RUV 350 isn't up to the mark because with a 3.5 kilowatt motor, I was expecting better performance. And in terms of top speed, it has a claimed top speed of 75 kmph. So in terms of top speed, it is good, but in terms of acceleration and pepiness, the RUV 350 feels a bit dull.

Battery & Range

The Bgauss a RUV 350 gets a 3 kWh fixed battery and there are three charger options. The claimed range for the electric scooter is 135 km in eco mode. The base standard charger is 500 watts. Then you have an optional charger of 800 watts. The fast charger is a wall mounted unit which has an output of 1,350W. In terms of charging time, with the base charger, the charging time is around seven hours.

With the 800 watts charger, it's down to four hours. And with the fast charger, it just takes two and a half hours for a full charge. The charger slot is positioned below the seat, and one clever aspect is the slot given over here. So after plugging in the charger, you can close the seat, which means nobody can remove the charger when the scooter is getting charged. But that's not it, on the footboard there's a small slot in which you can store the charger thereby not affecting the underseat storage space.

Style & Features

One aspect about the RUV 350 that really shines through is its styling. The 16-inch wheels make the scooter stand apart from the crowd and it clearly looks distinctive when it comes to electric scooters. The design of the scooter is reminiscent of step-through scooters which are hugely popular in south east Asia, but weren’t successful in India.

The other impressive bit is that the body panels are made out of metal and it’s the second electric scooter after the Bajaj Chetak to feature metal panels. In terms of features there’s a 5-inch TFT screen with a bunch of connected features including call and music control, turn-by-turn navigation, ride stats and more. My only issue is that toggling through the UI isn't very easy as you have to use multiple buttons at a time. Other notable features include hill hold, reverse mode and document storage.

Verdict

The Bgauss a RUV 350 does manage to stand apart in the sea of electric scooters with its very unconventional styling. It has an aura of ruggedness with its metal body and large 16-inch wheels. The handling dynamics of the scooter is nice, while the riding posture is comfortable, and it has a good set of features.

But my main concern with this scooter is the quality level of the scooter. Bgauss officials claimed that the electric scooter we rode were still pre-production units and the quality levels will increase going forward. But the main question for this scooter would be pricing. At the time of shooting this video, we don't have the price, but the overall verdict will come in the next segment.