Launching a scooter in the midst of a pandemic is a very brave move for a business and what surprises more is an electric 2-wheeler maker coming forward to do it. We got our hands on Magnus Pro, a brand new electric scooter from Ampere Vehicles (owned by Greaves). What follows is our test ride and overall experience of this EV.
First Impressions
Having ridden the Ampere Zeal scooter earlier, we were quite familiar with the brand. The Magnus Pro which was digitally launched in the first week of June 2020 is very interesting to look at. While looks are subjective, if you ask us the Magnus Pro looks sleek, well-designed and appealing than Zeal. While the Magnus Pro borrows majority of its design from Magnus 60 (low-speed eScooter from Ampere), it gets stylish updated brown seats, LED headlamps, bright tail lamps and more.
Design and Features
The scooter is launched in 4 attractive color options, the one which we tested was “Metallic Red” color variant. As mentioned before, aesthetics of this scooter is something worth appreciating. The Magnus Pro badging and front side “Electric” branding doesnt fail to impress the onlooker. The scooter’s digital instrument cluster is bright and well-readable. The digital console displays the battery power information, speed at which you are riding, if you are in low mode(2) or on high mode(1) etc. The ignition switch, high-low switch, the headlamp controls are on your right, the indicator switch, horn switch and headlamp beam adjuster are present on left side of your handlebar.
The seats are well reachable for short riders as well and there is good amount of space to stretch your legs in front (If you are a tall rider). You will get dedicated pocket storage in the front which also hosts a direct USB port to charge your phone or any gadget. The LED headlamps and sidelamps are bright and attractive. The rear of the scooter’s body gets a prominent shiny tailamps, you will also notice a dedicated grab holder for pillion’s comfort.
You get a very nice looking remote keys which you can use it to lock, unlock, wake up the scooter. There are some fancy sounds, anti-theft features as well.
Motor and Battery
The Magnus Pro gets the same battery as that of Zeal, A 60V, 30Ah, Lithium Ion battery. The electric motor of the scooter is rated at 1200W. With the scooter you will be also provided with a 60V, 7.5A Li charger that takes about 5-6 hours to charge the battery fully. Its a simple 3 point pin which you can hook into any 3-pin socket in your house – the other end of the wire has to be connected to a round port in the front of the scooter.
The provided charger indicates you about the charging status and turns green when the battery is full. Other than external charging point, you may also directly connect to a port under the seat. You may also swap the battery and replace it with new one. Ampere has intelligently managed the space, housing the battery, yet providing lot of space for storage under the seat.
Ride and Handling
Thanks to EV technology, the scooter is super silent and makes no noise when you start the scooter or during the course of ride. It gets interesting when you intentionally want to make your presence felt among other co-riders. We tested it in nearby neighbourhood streets as well as on national highways. Our experience in riding this scooter on bumpy roads was not that great, while we enjoyed zipping through well-made terrains. Riding on Slope roads was not an issue, it did pass through sharp inclinations obeying laws of physics. The High mode, is what you need when you need some good amount of punch in acceleration and helps you attain speed like 55 kmph. While the low mode caps your speed to about 35 kmph, helps you in retaining battery for more Kms in range.
As claimed by Ampere the scooter did offer a range of 80 Kms in high mode and we were pretty impressed. We also got a chance to experience the scooter under heavy rain condition and the scooter worked flawlessly. The drum brakes with CBS system were quite responsive and intuitive. The front suspension could have been a bit better and there is scope for improvement.
The Magnus Pro EV offers a maximum load capacity of 150 Kgs, if you have a fat friend and heavy luggage you need not fret, it gets the job done; we tested it.
Dimensions
The scooter is light weight and weighs only 85 Kgs. It is very friendly for beginners and women riders. The ground clearance of Magnus Pro is 150mm and wheelbase measures 1415mm. The scooter gets 10 inch tubeless tyres, company fitted TVS Tyres. The length of scooter is 1880mm, width is 710mm and height is 1190mm. The battery provides you range of 80 kms (In high mode) when fully charged. It takes about 5-6 hours to charge the battery fully.
Under seat storage is good enough to store 2 small boxes or a large helmet. The under seat storage is also illuminated by always-on LED light.
Verdict
The all new Magnus Pro is a very promising Electric scooter with good looks and attractive range. Magnus Pro is well built, offers good riding comfort and offers advanced features like USB charging, remote key, large storage space yet remains light. If you are in the market for buying a decent scooter with a budget of 75k, choosing an electric scooter like Magnus Pro is a wise choice. The scooter might not hit speeds of your liking, but nothing like saving fuel for life.
Price and colors
The ex-showroom price of Ampere Magnus Pro is Rs 73,900/- . Ampere Magnus Pro is available in 4 attractive color options: Bluish Pearl White, Golden Yellow, Graphite Black and Metallic Red. Check full photo gallery of Ampere Magnus Pro.
Ampere Magnus Pro Video
Let us know what you think about this review by commenting below.
Very well covered 👍
please confirm regarding the range, is the range true as claimed by the company – 80 km / 100 km in cruise and eco modes respectively.. ?
Thank you
Hi Kishor,
Thanks for dropping your comment. Yes when we tested it, we did 60 Kms in one stretch, and had 3 bars left (important to note that we used both High and Eco mode).
Once again we recharged the battery for like 3 hours, and got full bars. Practically the scooter is providing the range as advertised.
There will be +/- 5 kms difference… If you are riding in high mode, you can expect 75Kms range at worst and in low mode you may get upto 95 Kms.
What about the battery warranty and is it good to buy a EV vehicle vch would run as long as a combustion vehicle?
Good review. However, I found some pros and cons too (in the scooter, not your write up). First, the battery is uncovered as, when you view from above, the right hand side shows the road, so water/dust can splash through. The Dashboard is a big let down, especially when you compare to TVS iQube, which is very, very attractive and makes use of Android OS, for navigation etc. Lastly, they could have used the footboard to store the battery, lowering the CG and give more space in dicky. The pros are, drum brakes that keep cost low. Especially when your top speed is 45-50 kmph, Disc brake is waste. Large leg room is a bonus.