RR Global's Bgauss, a two-wheeler arm of the company, seems to be going in the right direction with its EV scooters. The company’s previous offerings have offered safety, good quality and decent performance and this time it seems no different, although it seems like that the RUV 350wants to step it up by a big margin.
This is a scooter with a radical step-thru design and unique elements used for the powertrain that does set it apart from its competitors and introduces a whole new riding experience in the EV space. Bgauss has improved every parameter seen in its previous scooters and then added more in an effort of one upmanship.
The design is dominated by the contrast colour 16-inch wheels, a well-done headlamp with LED DRLsgiving a premium look. The lower half is tall thanks to extra ground clearance and suspension travel is far more over other scooters in its own portfolio and even in the segment. The overall design is however quite conventional, and you get the usual stance, nothing extraordinary here.
The instrument cluster offers much detail. A 5-inch TFT display with day and night modes, it also has connectivity features via the app. However, to switch between various modes, the buttons need a quicker response as lag is quite evident here. The colour, font, and graphic layout of the instrument panel is quite good and a step in the right direction, though some niggles are there. It has a comprehensive suite of features like Roll Over Detection, Cruise Control, Distance-to-Empty, LED lights, Hill Hold Control, Smart Side and Main Stand Sensor, Regenerative Braking and various display modes. You also get a document storage feature and shows you charging time and status.
Performance comes from a Hyperdrive motor which has the transmission and motor built in together and is seen in high-end hybrid electric cars. The transmission loss of 12% has been minimized and hence even with less horsepower and torque, it does feel sprightly. The 2.3 kw battery should lend it a real-life range of 100 kilometres, and it has a top speed of just 75 km/h. The centre of gravity is higher thanks to the increased ground clearance and suspension travel. However, this does not work in its favour thanks to the large 16-inch wheels. The tyres in our opinion are too slim.
The ride quality is a little stiff for our roads, but the high-speed stability and cornering is fairly good. The RUV 350 offers a one lakh kilometres warranty on the battery of the top end variant to make it good value for money. Bgauss needs to fix a few issues on the scooter before it starts delivering to customers. Once that happens, the RUV 350 has the potential to march forward shoulder to shoulder with its peers.
Prices start at INR 1.09 lakh
Story by Mohit Soni