Ather 450: Reshaping the electric scooter game

When we think about electric scooters, we think of them to be slow, sad and generally very bad in quality. They don’t have the styling that’s any different from normal scooter too. All of this turns the electric experience is turned into an electric shock. Then there a company called Ather Energy and they have got the Ather 450. Not only does this scooter change the scooter game when it comes to electric two wheelers, it may have just changed the way we look a scooters in general.

Ather 450 Price

When it comes to the price of the Ather 450, it will require some explanation. The scooter with the long lasting battery that can be recharged for around 50,000 kilometer comes at a price of ₹ 1.25 Lakhs. Now before you get discouraged and make up your mind about this thing as an expensive toy here us out. You are getting the best looking scooter in the country, a lithium-ion pack as standard, a fantastic riding position with a proper 50:50 weight distribution system, a large IP65 7-inch touchscreen system which has every feature and function that you need (we believe the brilliant touchscreen is a part of the high price of the scooter). Ather says they are charging a premium because of the upcoming Ather grid. Where you will be able to charge this scooter for free and they will be within 4 kms of range in each other.

Ather 450 Range

Yes, range. Range anxiety is real with all electric vehicles. Ather Energy is claiming that the Ather 450 is going to have a range of 75kms in Eco Mode and 60kms in sports mode. Ather Energy claims that this range you get on paper is the range you get on the road. No tall claims. Not just that, but the intelligent Battery Management System and a range prediction algorithm help predict the range accurately. By the way, our Indian Drive Cycle range is 107 km. With the Ather grid up and running in big cities where this scooter will be used the most, we will see the range anxiety for the Ather 450 go down. The concept of these charging points is that they will give up to 1km of range per minute, while charging. This will make the scooter a very smart choice of use. The Ather Grid will not charge you and there will be a yearly subscription for its use.

Also Read: Honda Activa coming with a electric version soon

Ather 450 Design

The design language of the Ather 450 is unlike any scooter one would have ever come across. The thing looks like it has just left the concept/prototype stand of the manufacturers Auto Show stall and placed in a showroom. The seating is perfect and the 50:50 weight distribution means, you do not need the center stand on this scooter. As soon as you sit on the scooter you notice the 7-inch touchscreen. This is the kind of touchscreen you find in cars costing upwards of 8 lakhs. This kind of kit is unheard on two-wheelers in India. This feature makes the Ather 450– the first to come equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen tablet that functions like its instrument cluster. The screen has an IP65 rating which means you don’t have to worry about water in the monsoons. It offers you the usual – speedometer, tripmeter, distance to empty, charge status and the like. The instrument cluster also offers onboard navigation using Google maps.

The instrument cluster has a SIM card that sits permanently. It is connected to the internet and thus you need not rely on your phone’s data services for navigation. The navigation is based on Google maps which are pretty accurate. The instrument cluster shows the speed in a large font in the centre of the screen. The background changes colour from green to an orange-ish hue as you go faster. Also, as a safety measure, when the scooter is in motion, the many functions and information displayed disappear to ensure the rider isn’t distracted. You cannot access the touch functionalities at more than 5kmph as a safety function.

The front and rear get cool LED headlights which add to the overall appeal of the scooter. The design also shows off some parts of the frame exposed and that is a good touch.

Ather 450 Features

Front & Rear Disc Brakes

Mono-Shock Suspension

Perfect Balance

Low Center of Gravity

Interactive Dash

Reverse Mode

Onboard Navigation and Live Location Tracking on app

Standard Features

Speedometer-Digital

Tachometer-Digital

Gear Indicator

Fuel Warning Indicator

Fuel Gauge

Low Oil Indicator

Low Battery Indicator

Pillion Seat

Pillion Grab rail

Engine Kill Switch

Clock

Trip meter Type-Digital

Pass Light

Ather 450 Specifications

There are many cool features in the scooter in this scooter, but now let’s take a look at the specifications and the power unit that makes the Ather 450 do a sprint from 0-40km/hr in 3.9secs. The scooter gets a low center of gravity with the floor mounted lithium-ion battery pack. This creates a 50:50 weight distribution that helps in the overall handling of the bike. There is a progressive mono-shock suspension for softer response on bumps and comfort on bad roads. The power pack has a high capacity for range, high power output for quick acceleration and speed, a long life, and fast-charging. Ather struggled to find one pack that has all of these, so they built on.

Designed for today’s stop and go traffic conditions, the BLDC motor offers an optimum 20.5 Nm of instant torque and a peak power output of 7.2bhp for cruising at top speed. This is what will make this scooter a brezze to overtake and do high speed highway runs easy.

Ather 450 Competition

The Ather 450 for its price competes directly with the Vespa Elegante 150, which is one of the most expensive IC scooters. But when it comes to electric scooters, it competes with the Okinawa Praise and the Twenty Two Motors Flow. These two scooters do not have the gadgetry or the performance of the Ather 450 but beat it in the range department. The range issue is solved by the Ather Energy Grid, that is coming soon. But where it also comes down is the price. The Okinawa Praise costs ₹ 66,273 (on-road) and that is a big price gap.