TVS recently expanded its EV portfolio with the introduction of the Orbiter. It carries a competitive price tag and is positioned as a balance between practicality, connectivity and comfort. We find out how it performs in the real world.
Design and Quality
Unique styling with good finishing.
The design of the Orbiter is unique; it has a boxy shape with a flat seat, a minimalistic front end, and a neat tail section. It gets modern elements like LED DRL strips with integrated indicators, sleek grab rails and a windscreen for added appeal as well. The scooter uses a 14-inch front wheel and it is available in six colour schemes, out of which we have the loud Neon Sunburst scheme for this review. The overall fit and finish is good and the scooter does catch a lot of attention with its styling, but I would have preferred it without the windscreen.
Performance and Refinement
Should be a bit quicker for big city commutes.
It uses the same battery as the iQube (3.1 kWh) but uses an electric motor tuned for riding range over performance. There are two riding modes; Eco and City where the former can get to an indicated top-speed of 46kph and the latter can get to 68kph. Both modes have similar acceleration and overall performance is rather dull with the scooter taking around 7 seconds to get to 40kph in our tests. Eco mode is decent for travelling through slower crowded, narrow back roads, but City mode will need to be engaged as soon as you get on to a main road.
EV Battery Capacity 3.1 kWh | Motor Type BLDC Hub Motor |
The acceleration feels lazy until 30kph, after which it starts to accelerate quicker, and it lacks that low end kick that is unique to e-scooters. It can maintain an indicated speed of 50-55kph in City mode, but takes some time to execute overtakes. The conservative performance means that you have to constantly twist the entire wrist when making overtakes. While climbing flyovers, the scooter maintains momentum but is just about able to keep up with traffic at that point. Overall performance is just about acceptable for life in the big city and any less would have been a deal breaker. Even so, this scooter is noticeably slower than popular options like TVS’ own iQube and the same applies to India’s best selling ICE scooters like the Honda Activa or the TVS Jupiter.
Riding Range
Offers good riding range if ridden conservatively.
Charging takes approximately 4 hours and 10 minutes to get from 0-80 percent. In our range test, we ran the scooter in City mode and completely drained the battery. We landed up with a riding range of 112km, which is good, but keep in mind that this figure was achieved with gentle riding. A heavy rider with a heavy throttle hand can cut that figure down by half.
Handling, Ride Quality, & Braking
Gets a 14-inch front wheel; no disc brake variant on offer.
With a kerb weight of 112kg, it is a light scooter and easy to maneuver. It cuts through traffic easily and the 14-inch front wheel allows it to take on bad sections of road. The ride quality is comfortable but while hitting repeated potholes or speedbreakers at higher speeds, the handlebar tends to judder. The braking setup comprises drum brakes at both ends, which are more than adequate for a scooter with this level of performance. It would have been nice to see a disc brake at the front, but in all fairness, the drum set up gets the job done.
Seat height 763 mm | Kerb Weight 112 kg | Ground Clearance 169 mm |
Features
Good feature list, but the LCD dash could have a better layout.
The Orbiter is a simple scooter but TVS has still packed it with some important features. It gets the same LCD screen as the lower variants of the Raider which also offers bluetooth connectivity via the SmartXonnect application. Information is laid out well on the screen, but when the app is not in use, the left side of the screen looks empty. The approach is straightforward with buttons on either side for cruise control, parking assist and changing modes. The DTE (distance to empty) indicator occupies the same space as the Trip meters and you have to scroll through depending on what you want to see. A dedicated space for the DTE reading alongside the battery percentage would have been nice.
The cruise control function is easy to engage on the go and works well when you have open roads ahead. With the light weight and accessible seat height (760mm) of the scooter, it is easy to move in and out of parking spots, so I did not need to use the park assist feature as much. Shorter riders might find it helpful though. In terms of practicality, the scooter gets a small storage area at the front, and a big 34 litre boot which can fit in two half face helmets and also gets a USB charging port situated under the dash.
Price and Verdict
The TVS Orbiter focuses on giving riders a simple and safe riding experience and at Rs 1.05 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi before subsidies) it offers good value as well. It’s a decent option for a beginner rider over short city commutes, but we believe that it would have been more impressive with more performance, especially for life in the big city.
Ved Janve
Rishaad Mody
Autocar India News Desk
