SUMMARY
The premium Ather 450x model is priced up to INR 1.59 Lakh
Ather’s second electric scooter will be available in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad
Ather Energy is offering subscriptions for its electric scooters lineup
After the hype around the Ather 450 launch, Bengaluru-based electric vehicle startup Ather Energy has launched an upgraded version of the electric scooter, the Ather 450X in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad, apart from Bengaluru and Chennai.
The premium, high-performance range electric scooter is priced between INR 1.49 and 1.59 Lakh. In the coming days, the company will also be installing fast-charging Ather Grid points and Ather experience centres across these cities where the electric scooter has been launched.
The Ather 450x has improved battery performance and a more powerful motor than the Ather 450, the company’s other electric scooter. It also comes with cellular 4G and Bluetooth connectivity for smart rides. On a full charge, the vehicle can travel up to 116 km from 107 km. The 450X is said to have a top speed of 80 Km per hour and can go from 0-40 Km per hour in 3.3 seconds as against 3.84 seconds in the Ather 450 model.
With a lifetime guarantee on the battery, Ather Energy is also offering subscription-based models for its electric scooters. The subscription cost begins at INR 99,000 down payment and a monthly subscription pack of either INR 1,699 for the Plus variant or INR 1,999 for the Pro variant.
Tarun Mehta, cofounder and CEO of Ather Energy said that electric vehicle adoption will not grow unless companies create value for consumers, beyond just wanting to make a difference to the environment. “It [Adoption growth] will happen only if you offer a better experience to the customers. That is what our scooters do,” added Mehta.
Ather Energy was founded by IIT alumni Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain in 2013. The company is backed by Hero MotoCorp, Tata Motors and Sachin Bansal. In June 2018, the company had launched two electric scooters Ather 450 and Ather 340 priced at 1.25 and 1.09 Lakh, respectively. A year later, Ather Energy had to stop the manufacturing of Ather 340 in September 2019 due to low demand.
Till date, the company has raised $91 Mn from Sachin Bansal, Hero MotoCorp and Tiger Global Management and others. In May 2019, Ather Energy had raised an investment of $51 Mn led by Bansal, who happened to invest $32 Mn. In 2018, Hero MotoCorp had invested close to $27 Mn, followed by $12 Mn from Tiger Global Management and others.
This week, two other EV makers launched new electric two-wheelers in India. TVS Motors and BattRE Electric mobility both launched models targetting different sets of users. TVS Motors made its entry into the electric two-wheeler segment by launching iQube Electric. Also, BattRE launched its brand new IoT-connected electric scooter on Amazon marketplace called ‘BattRE IOT.’
