Ather Energy has launched a new flagship scooter called the 450X. Promising to be better, faster, and lighter than the 450, this new electric scoot will be available in Bangalore and Chennai initially. Eight more cities will be added to the list and the number will grow to 24 by 2022. Like Chennai & Bengaluru, Ather will equip other key markets with multiple fast charging Ather Grid points and Ather experience centres, prior to the deliveries planned in Q3 of 2020. To ease the public charging experience, Ather Grid will be available in locations like malls, cafes, supermarkets and tech parks. Ather is scaling up its operations across the country with Ather 450X being available across 10 major cities in India beginning with Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad.
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 is introducing 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 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.
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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.
This new ownership model will enable customers the flexibility to switch between performance packs as well as receive free battery replacement in the event of battery degradation, ensuring consistent performance throughout the registered life of the scooter. Owners can switch between at their convenience. In Delhi and Maharashtra, Ather 450X owners may also benefit from the EV subsidy offered by the states which are currently an additional amount of approximately INR 14500 and INR 5000, respectively.
Ather 450X will have a 4G SIM card and Wi-Fi along with Bluetooth connectivity, allowing riders to manage phone calls and music on the touchscreen dashboard. The new 7” touchscreen dashboard, comes with a colour depth of 16M and a Snapdragon Quad-Core processor. Ather 450X utilises Android Open Source to offer map navigation, On-board diagnostics and other unique features like Over-the-air updates, Auto Indicator off and Guide-me-home lights.
The scooter will be offered with a tyre pressure monitoring system and a smart helmet as accessories and smart features include OTA Upgrades, Onboard navigation, In-ride app stats and In-app remote monitoring. Bluetooth for music, calls and voice assistant will only be available to Pro users. The Ather 450X will be available in Grey, Green and White.
I do not understand, how can milage depend on the Subscription, Pro milage is 10 Kms more than Plus in eco mode, it should be vice versa. I have heard that Apple rolled some updates so the older phones had less battery charge and people can buy new models. I hope it is not similar here.