Greaves Electric Mobility is on a steady upward trajectory with its Ampere brand, and the company routinely features in the top six OEMs in terms of monthly electric two-wheeler sales. Now, it has launched a new affordable electric scooter in the form of the Magnus Grand Max, priced at Rs 94,999 (introductory, ex-showroom, India).
- 3kWh LFP battery; claimed IDC range is 142km
- 65kph top speed (claimed); two riding modes – City and Eco
- Has a big 33-litre underseat storage area
Ampere Magnus Grand Max range, top speed and other details
Comes with a 3-year/75,000km battery warranty as standard
Ampere’s Magnus scooters are popular with last-mile, gig workers and are also fairly common in semi-urban and rural areas. The Magnus Grand Max – sitting above the Magnus Grand with a 2.3kWh battery – aims to offer a slightly more premium experience with a larger battery, higher top speed, bigger boot and two new dual-tone colour schemes. Powering the Magnus Grand Max is a 3kWh LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery, which the company claims is good for a real-world range of ‘over 100km’ on a full charge; the certified IDC range stands at 142km. The company hasn’t shared the time taken for a 0-80 percent or 0-100 percent charge and, instead, claims that a 20-80 percent top-up will take 4.5 hours.
Ampere is one of the few players in the EV market – like the newly launched Suzuki e-Access – to use LFP batteries. These are typically not as energy-dense as their NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) counterparts, but the upshot here is that they are much safer owing to a lower chance of a thermal runaway incident. The battery on the Magnus Grand comes with a 3-year/75,000km warranty as standard.
The Magnus Grand Max is a fairly simple machine with a hub-mounted motor – making 2.4kW (peak) and 1.5kW (nominal) – propelling it to a decent 65kph top speed. Underpinnings, too, are basic, with a telescopic fork at the front and twin shock absorbers at the rear handling suspension duties and 130mm drum brakes handling stopping duties. Two riding modes are on offer – Eco and City – with reverse functionality also a part of the package. One big change on the Magnus Grand Max is its spacious 33-litre underseat storage area, which makes it the biggest on any Greaves/Ampere product to date and also one of the biggest storage spaces at this price point. You also get a 3.5-inch LCD screen and two dual-tone colours: Monsoon Blue, Matcha Green and Cinnamon Copper.
At Rs 94,999 (introductory), the Ampere Magnus Grand Max finds itself on the affordable end of the spectrum in the context of the electric scooter market today. Similarly priced options from reputed manufacturers would include the TVS Orbiter (Rs 99,900), Bajaj Chetak C2501 (Rs 91,399) and Vida VX2 Go 3.4kWh (Rs 1.02 lakh).
The launch of this model should help bring in more volumes for Greaves, and if current market trends continue, it could soon overtake Ola Electric, which has been consistently recording falling sales, for the fifth position in India’s two-wheeler market.
All prices are ex-showroom and inclusive of the PM e-Drive subsidy.
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
