The dynamism of the electric two-wheeler industry is currently shared between new-age startups and OEMs, wherein on one side, we have performance-centric alternatives from Ather and Ola, and on the other side, TVS and Bajaj claim the crown of practicality. Well, the above statement could be debatable to some extent but not ignorable. Ampere, now owned by Greaves Cotton Ltd, taps into the e2W market to explore its potential and position itself firmly in the Indian market. I have recently experienced the company's flagship offering – Primus , at the company's manufacturing facility at Ranipet, Tamil Nadu. Is the experience worthy enough to power up the ambitions of the company, for whom exactly is this electric scooter, and does it pack enough potential to rule the market? Let's find out.
Verdict
At Rs. 1.10 lakhs ( ex-showroom), Primus packs enough potential to make it a worthy contender in the electric two-wheeler market. The practicality quotient is also well justified. However, to establish itself among the already existing competitors is a bit of a tough nut to crack, but their first step into the EV game seems promising enough.
Simple would be best to describe the design of Primus. It is well-proportionate and does look like another conventional scooter. The company has played it safe with the universally-appealing design language. The build quality is fairly decent, but I had a few issues with the side mirrors getting loose despite their technician tightening them. I was impressed with the paint quality of the Primus, especially the Royal Orange of my test scooter.
Primus gets an LED unit for the headlamps, whereas the turn indicators and tail lamps get a Halogen unit. On the side, you will notice a high flat floor and, more prominently, the cover on the mid-mounted motor driving rear wheels via belt-drive transmission. Primus rides with 12-inch alloy wheels and gets tubeless tyres. The boot space of 22 litres is adequate enough to carry a half-face helmet easily.
Features
Primus gets a small LCD unit that displays essential information like speed, battery charge, distance to empty and efficiency. The system needs a bit of improvement. The test unit I rode had a glitch as it was inconsistent and inaccurate with data, but I hope the company will fix this issue soon. Moreover, the display is a bit difficult to read under bright sunlight. Primus also has Bluetooth connectivity, which I could not test during my first impression ride.
Battery - 48V , 3kWh
ARAI Range- 107km
Motor- Mid-mount 3400/4000W motor
Kerb Weight - 130kg
Price - Rs 1.10 lakhs (ex-showroom)
Battery and Performance
Primus gets a 3 kW fixed battery pack that runs on an LFP (Lithium Ferrous-Phosphate) chemistry, powering a mid-mounted motor capable of producing 4kW of peak power. The company claims the battery is capable enough to give ARAI claimed efficiency of 107 km, whereas the motor can help you achieve 0-40kmph of speed in 4.2 seconds. Note this- 107km of claimed range could only be achieved in Eco mode, whereas the 4.2sec of acceleration could be made possible in Power mode. Well, achieving 100+ of range in the real world would be challenging as the performance in Eco mode is a bit conservative as the top speed is limited to 40-45 kmph. The performance in City mode is enough for the daily commutes, which can do a top speed of 60-65kmph, whereas I prefer Power mode as the performance was adequate for easy overtakes and zipping fast through traffic as well as on the highway.
The throttle response is quite smooth, and the Primus builds up speed linearly, which is convenient for new riders. The performance is not mind-blowingly fast as you would expect from e-2Ws but is adequate enough to cater to basic commuting duties.
Ride, Handling and Braking
The ride quality of the Primus is neither too soft nor too stiff, thus making it comfortable to go through bad patches of roads. Handling is also decent enough, and one would not feel 130kg of weight while maneuvering it through narrow roads. It is so easy to ride and feels comfortable enough. The only problem for me, though, is the ergonomics. Due to the high floorboard, it was a bit difficult to take sharp turns, especially for tall riders. Another downside, though, is its drum brake setup; despite being equipped with the combo-braking system, it wasn't confidence-inspiring. Adding a disc brake would make the overall riding dynamics quite sorted. The company should introduce a higher variant with a disc brake setup.
