Tarun Mehta, co-founder & CEO of Ather Energy, the electric scooter manufacturer, recently took to Instagram to reveal their plans for the next year, which include two new scooters, each with different goals in mind. The updated lineup would include a more affordable version and also a more powerful, feature-rich version.
Ather revealed plans for a scooter with larger dimensions compared to the current 450 line-up. The aim of this is to increase comfort and practicality, ultimately making it more family-oriented. Going by Ather’s claim, we speculate this new e-scooter to be slightly down on power making it more convenient for city riding and also increasing its range. With that, we might also see fewer ride modes. On the other hand, since it is a family-oriented scooter, storage space might increase including a bigger boot which currently stands at 22 litres. Ather might also opt for a wider seat and increased ride quality to suit riders of all ages. The brand said that it plans to launch the e-scooter at an affordable price point, sometime next year.
One thing Ather is known for is its sporty credentials. Now Ather aims to build on the success of the 450 with a more powerful version of it. According to the claims, it will be an evolution of the 450X with increased performance and more features. We speculate it would come with a more powerful motor than the current 8.58bhp one. Ather might opt for a newer more energy-dense battery so that the range stays similar to the current levels, but again all these are speculation and we will only get to know the details next year. With claims like these, Ather may be building a TVS X rival which is currently the most powerful e-scooter in India with a 4.4kWh battery pack. Since Ather is also claiming an increased feature list, we might get to see video-streaming apps in this scooter as is the current trend in EVs. Features like a digital key might also make it to this scooter. With these, expect the prices to be increased as Ather itself has claimed saying it will cost a premium. Whether it will be worth it remains under question.
Ather is one of the most popular e-scooter brands in India and currently sells three e-scooters with two battery options – 2.9kWh and 3.7kWh. Claimed ranges lie between 111km and 150km and price ranges between Rs 1.30 lakh and Rs 1.45 lakh. With these scooters, Ather will not only increase its product portfolio but also make it more diverse as Ather is usually attached to sportiness and the family scooter will increase its customer base.