The Sunra Robo-S From China Wants To One-Up The TVS iQube

It’s like the iQube’s long lost twin, except better.

By: Enrico Punsalang

Jul 14, 2021 at 7:00pm ET

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Here we go again, another Chinese imitation of a popular product available in other markets, only this time it’s an electric scooter—more particularly, the TVS iQube from India. However, this time, the Chinese imitation is actually better, on paper, at least. You see, Sunra, a Chinese electric motorcycle manufacturer has rolled out the Robo-S, and it looks strikingly similar to the TVS iQube. Let’s take a closer look.

For starters, the Sunra Robo-S gets some pretty nifty features consisting of a USB charging port, full LED lighting, a digital instrument panel, and cruise control. It even gets some next-gen features such as fingerprint-activated ignition, and even a reverse gear. In creature comforts alone, it would appear that the Robo-S leaves the iQube in the dust. From a styling perspective, it’s very clear to see that the Sunra Robo-S is “inspired” by the TVS iQube. Everything from the scooter’s boxy bodywork, front fascia, and proportions would make it easy to believe that these two scooters were made by the same company.

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On a performance standpoint, however, the Sunra Robo-S once again pulls away from the TVS iQube. It gets a 3kW electric motor which pumps out a hefty 230Nm of torque. Sipping juice from a 72V 20 Ah lithium-ion battery, the Robo-S can hit a top speed of 80 kph, and deliver a claimed range of 135 klicks on a single charge. This is substantially greater than the TVS iQube’s real world range of around 75 kilometers.

Interestingly, the Sunra Robo-S is up to spec in terms of European safety and reliability standards, as it’s available in multiple European markets at a price of around 3,299 Euros, or approximately $3,900 USD. That said, should TVS decide to expand into Europe with the iQube as its wildcard in the lightweight EV game, it’ll certainly need to pull an ace from its sleeve in order to do battle with its Chinese lookalike.