Ather Energy today announced that deliveries of their flagship scooter – Ather 450X, one of the quickest scooters in the 125cc category, will begin from November 2020. Ather confirmed that by Q1 of 2021, the Ather 450X will be seen on roads across all the 10 cities announced earlier this year, i.e. in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Kolkata and Coimbatore. The deliveries will begin in a phased manner beginning with Bengaluru and Chennai first and then the rest of the cities.
More details
Consumer perception around the Ather 450X will change based on trials. In order to let people experience the vehicle, Ather will be aggressively promoting the vehicle on-ground and begin test rides starting October across all the markets.
Specifications
Ather Energy is also partnering with premium partners across key markets to set up the Ather experience centres. As for public charging, Ather will be setting up its fast-charging network – Ather Grid across each city before delivery so new owners have a hassle-free experience once the vehicle has been delivered. Ather plans to set up 10-15 fast charging points across each city in Phase 1. The 450X scooter is powered with a 6kW PMSM motor, a new 2.9 kWh lithium-ion battery and comes with 4 riding modes. In addition to Eco, Ride and Sport, Ather has also introduced a new high-performance mode, ‘Warp’. The 450X goes from 0 – 60 kmph in 6.50 seconds and from 0 – 40 kmph in 3.29 seconds. Where the 450 was powered by a 5.4kW motor which cranked out 20.5 Nm of torque, the one on the Ather 450X takes those numbers to 6kW and 26 Nm.
For this new scooter, the company has designed a new battery pack which goes from 18.650 form factor to 21,700 cells. The Ather 450X tips the scales at 108 kilos, which is 10 kgs less than the 450. It boasts of a certified range of 116 kilometres on a full charge and the company claims the scooter can cover 85 kilometres in real-world conditions.
Official statement
Tarun Mehta, Co-founder & CEO, Ather Energy, said “The pandemic did disrupt our timelines by a few months, but we have been able to get back on track with our plans. We used the time to refine our expansion plan and get the ball rolling on our go-to-market strategy. We have also been working very actively with our supplier partners to ensure minimal disruption in the supply chain. The excitement and the wait has been too long now we can’t wait to get started. We will soon share more information on our dealer network and Ather Grid points across each city. The demand has been phenomenal, and we are sure with different ownership and purchase models that we will introduce, it will help consumers make the shift to electric with ease. Exciting times ahead.”
Also read: Ather Energy Receives A Fresh Investment From Hero MotoCorp
Pricing
In terms of pricing, the new scooter will be offered with two plans – Plus and Pro. For both plans, one needs to pay INR 99,000 upfront (City- Bengaluru, Incl. GST and FAME II incentive; Excl. State Subsidy, Insurance,Road tax & Registration charges. Post that, there’s a monthly subscription fee of INR 1,699 or 1,999 (Plus and Pro respectively) and for that, one gets unlimited battery warranty. Also, the fast charging speed differs, where Plus subscribers will be able to charge at 1.0 km/min, while Pro users will be able to do the same at 1.5 km/min. Both users will be able to access Ather’s 2nd-generation fast-charging network which is now 50% faster than before. Interestingly, the range for Plus subscribers is 70 kilometres and 85 kilometres for Pro users.