Indian company launches electric scooters- Ather 340 and Ather 450
Homegrown start-up Ather Energy has finally launched its electric scooters in India - the Ather 340 and Ather 450. Now available for pre-orders in Bangalore, Ather 340 is priced at Rs. 1,09,750 (on-road), and the 450 variant at Rs. 1,24,750 (on-road). Notably, both the e-scooters are identical in terms of styling and features but differ in capacity and output. Here are the finer details.
The scooters look good in pictures, feel solid on paper
Both Ather 340 and 450 e-scooters sport sharp looks and are equipped with LED light, alloy wheels, a telescopic fork, a rear monoshock, disc brakes at both the ends and a combined braking system. For ride convenience, the company claims a 51:49 weight distribution (front to rear), and symmetrical lateral weight distribution (left to right), low center of gravity and a low-speed reverse gear.
They only differ in power output and battery capacity
Ather 340 gets a 4.4kW brush-less DC motor which generates 20Nm torque, a top speed of 70km/h and reaches 0-40kph in 5.1sec. Ather 450 is powered by a 5.4kW motor which makes 20.5Nm of peak torque, 80km/h of top speed and reaches 0-40kph in 3.9sec. Both are powered by Lithium-ion batteries with Ather 340 having a capacity of 1.92kWh, while the 450 has 2.4kWh.
Both scooters offer a good driving range
Both the e-scooters come with two running modes - power and economy. The Ather 340 offers a claimed real-world range of 60km in economy mode and 50km in power mode. On the 450, the company claims a real-world range of 75km and 60km in economy and power modes respectively. Moreover, Ather claims 80% of the battery can be charged in 50min via public charging-points.
Interactive touchscreen, on-screen navigation and OTA firmware updates
Both the e-scooters are packed with smart features including an IP65-rated 7.0-inch capacitive touchscreen, GPS, over-the-air updates, on-screen navigation, charging station location tracking, diagnostic alerts, and parking assist function among others. Ather has also designed a dedicated mobile phone app that gives users further control over functionalities as well as access to vehicle information and functions related to trips and battery capacity.
Ather is offering a special subscription plan as well
Subscribers will get free access to AtherGrid (company's charging network) along with an electricity-cost reimbursement for charging the scooters at their residence or any other location. Ather is also offering other benefits including free maintenance, free data for navigation, roadside assistance, over-the-air updates and more. The subscription plan costs Rs. 700 per month; Rs. 2,596 for 3-months or Rs. 9,912 for an annual plan.
About Ather Energy
Ather Energy was founded by IIT graduates Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain in 2013. In 2014, they received $1 million in funding from Flipkart founders, Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. Later, Tiger Global and Hero Motor Corp had put in $12 million and $27 million respectively. The company has set-up an assembly plant in Bengaluru, with a current capacity to build 20,000 scooters annually.
