TVS iQube S vs Ola S1 Pro vs Ather 450X hill climb test: which electric scooter is the quickest?

EV performance tested: TVS iQube S vs Ola S1 Pro vs Ather 450X

ZigWheels conducted a hill climb test at Lavasa, Maharastra where it pitched the TVS iQube S, the Ola S1 Pro and the Ather 450X electric scooters against each other. To put it in context, the team also benchmarked it against the TVS NTorq 125R ICE-powered scooter. While common knowledge would suggest that electric motors produce their max torque and power output instantaneously, the actual performance of an EV is also dependent on factors such as battery management systems, chassis and suspension tuning, etc. The results of ZigWheels’ hill climb challenge show just that. 

The TVS iQube which the auto publication considers to have been tuned to be the most comfort-oriented family scooter managed to finish the climb in 9 minutes and 29 seconds. Moving upwards, the ICE-powered TVS NTorq 125R records a time of 9 minutes and 3 seconds, and the rider mentions that the zippiness of an electric motor is missed on tight corners and steeper climbs of the hill climb. Despite having the most powerful and largest battery pack, the Ola S1 Pro finishes second. 

However, the Ola S1 Pro could not manage to climb the entire course in its most aggressive, Hyper mode, as Ola’s battery management system struggled to keep its thermals in check. The Ola S1 Pro limped on in Eco mode which almost nullified the scooter’s usability and the rider had to stop to let things cool down before getting a move on. Substantial time was lost and the Ola S1 Pro recorded a full 12 minutes 17 seconds on the run. However, if one were to eliminate the lost time, the Ola S1 Pro managed to do the run in 8 minutes and 58 seconds. 

The fastest scooter in the comparison was the Ather 450X (Gen 3) which managed to climb the course in 8 minutes 16 seconds. The rider credited this to the Ather’s strong yet consistent performance, motorcycle-like dynamics and agility.