In this exclusive interview, Shashwath Bolar delves into the design philosophy behind Greaves Electric Mobility and Ampere Nexus, revealing how it combines inspiration from nature, Indian heritage, and cutting-edge technology to set a new benchmark in electric two-wheelers.
Motoring World: The Ampere Nexus embodies a blend of aesthetics, aerodynamics, and ergonomics. Could you share your key priorities during the design process and how these translated into the final product?
Shashwath Bolar: We have two main design stories which inspire our vehicle design, one is the Arctic Tern bird, and the other is “Designed in India”. Our key priority is to design vehicles through the PSD approach, that is Proportions, Surface and details design. The side is an aerodynamic body with very distinctive proportions and silhouette. The elongated Arctic tern wings inspire the side body’s character lines, and the sill curve kicks up to give the vehicle a very sporty stance and an aerodynamic look. The ancient Indian “Apsara sculpture” / celestial dancer from 12th Century, Khajuraho is one of the most beautiful sculptures coming from India. With surface treatment, we wanted to bring this sensuality, grace and dream-like quality which we often find in ancient Indian Apsara sculptures ( Celestial Dancer). Finally, the technical details like headlamps, tail lamps and UI/UX were inspired by the sharp diamond cuts and facets. This resulted in a contrast between sensual surfaces and sharp technical details.
MW: Designing for families often means balancing form with function. How did you ensure the Ampere Nexus excels in style and practicality for a broad user base?
SB: This product appeals to every member of the family. Younger members can experience the thrill of riding this scooter, while older members can enjoy the best-in-class comfort it provides. This scooter will be the go-to travel buddy for office goers as well as for short intracity trips with the family. Ampere Nexus is the most comfortable yet sporty scooter to ride, featuring best-in-class ergonomics, suspension, and patented aerodynamics. Its boot space can accommodate a full-size helmet and has a separate space for small items like mobile phones and wallets, along with a USB charger. Ampere
MW: The Arctic Tern symbolizes endurance and mobility, qualities reflected in the Ampere Nexus. Can you elaborate on how this inspiration influenced specific design elements, such as the scooter’s shape or stance?
SB: The Arctic Tern bird is graceful and one of the most enduring birds that migrates an average annual round-trip length of 60,000 miles a year – that’s twice the circumference of the earth. When it comes to mobility, the Arctic Tern is highly aerodynamic and slender, with angular wings and streamlined form, allowing it to move swiftly through varied temperate zones, altitudes, and geographies. The elongated Arctic tern wings inspire the side body’s character lines, and the sill curve kicks up to give the vehicle a very sporty stance and an aerodynamic look. The front graphic is Inspired by Arctic Tern’s wings. The vehicle is glossy black at its core and hugged by the ” Arctic Tern Jacket “. The tapering of the vehicle’s side panels as it goes rearwards gives an aerodynamic and sporty stance to the vehicle, this makes it the most sporty-looking family electric scooter in the market.
MW: Aerodynamics are crucial for performance and efficiency in electric vehicles. What unique design innovations have you introduced in the Ampere Nexus to optimize these factors?
SB: The Ampere Nexus has a clean design, aerodynamic body, and no visible mounts on the body panels. It relies on hidden fasteners and cleverly designed snap fits. This approach helps easier assembly/dis assembly. Since there are no visible mounting the dust collection is prevented and it improves overall cleanability.
Our unique air-cooling design innovation has been patented and helps keep the batteries and BMS cooler while in operation. The air enters the front lower intake vents and passes around the battery and BMS and exits the hot air through the rear air vents. This approach helps in functionally better thermal management as the vehicle moves.
MW: The Ampere Nexus is positioned as India’s first high-performance family electric scooter. How do you see this design setting new standards for electric two-wheelers in the Indian market?
SB: We wanted to position Ampere Nexus as a product with high-performance technology and premium sporty design. India is one of the fastest-growing global economies with one of the youngest populations with high aspirations. So, we wanted to capture this optimism and aspiration by setting new benchmarks in affordable yet sporty design. In other words, we want to “Democratise good design”, so it reaches the masses and not just the elite few.
MW: With evolving consumer expectations, how is design shaping the future of EV adoption, particularly for family-oriented vehicles?
SB: India is changing at a very rapid pace and today’s young consumers have a great exposure to the world through social media and the internet and that has resulted in higher lifestyle aspirations and expectations. Each member of the family has wide expectations in terms of vehicle design and the overall Phygital (Physical + Digital ) experience. Design plays a strategic and important role in the growing aspirations of highly conscious and globally aware Indian families.
MW: What were the most significant challenges in designing the Ampere Nexus, and how did your team overcome them to deliver a pioneering product?
SB: Extremely short design timelines compared to traditional ICE Scooters / traditional OEMs. We could achieve all this with the sharp clarity and fast decision-making of our COO – Mr. Ram Rajappa and by having a seamless startup culture within the organization. We seamlessly straddled between Sketching, clay modelling, VR, 3D printing and closely working with engineering, sourcing and supplier ecosystems.
MW: Electric scooters differ fundamentally from ICE scooters regarding powertrains and weight distribution. How did these factors influence the design choices for the Ampere Nexus?
SB: Designing an EV scooter is closer to designing a gadget like a mobile phone than a traditional ICE scooter. We had a lot of iterations and could move components around to fit our distinctive aerodynamic design and this approach made it quite flexible as opposed to an ICE vehicle.
