The new iQube has been launched earlier by TVS, a leading Indian motorbike brand, as a ‘copy’ of its TVS 2023 model, which we have already described, mainly because the foreign media accused our domestic Robo-S model of being a ‘copy’.
The new iQube is available in standard, S and ST versions. Most notably, TVS has equipped the ST version with a 7-inch touchscreen, making the iQube one of the few two-wheeled vehicles in the world to feature a touchscreen instrument.
Smartly, this has in-car navigation, telematics, anti-theft and geo-fencing features as well as hot car interaction, music control, active notifications, and vehicle health alerts, 4G telematics and OTA updates. Although the design is a little conservative, the 2023 iQube is a smart electric motorbike with all these features.
The iQube is powered by a 4.4kW motor and has a top speed of 78km/h in the standard and S versions, both with 3.4kWh batteries.
The higher end ST version has a slightly higher top speed of 82km/h and a larger 5.1kWh battery pack, which TVS claims will give a maximum range of 140km.
It’s not quite a high-performance car, but it’s good enough for daily commuting. The iQube is priced at Rs 98,654 for the base version, Rs 8,488 for the S version, Rs 108,690 for the ST version and Rs 119,663 for the ST version, Rs 10,298 for the ST version.
Price has always been an advantage for Indian products, and this Indian electric two-wheeler seems to have a good competitive edge in the international market. However, it is worth noting that reports in the Indian media indicate that the new OLA bike, which had a record of “over 100,000 orders in 24 hours”, has been exposed to users with broken front forks, which is worrying for Indian manufacturing.
