Electric scooter maker rides into Delhi-NCR market, where it is already witnessing strong demand.
11 Apr 2021 | 10444 Views | By Autocar Professional Bureau
Electric scooter maker Ather Energy has begun the deliveries of the Ather 450X in India’s capital city. Simultaneously, it has also begun test rides in Lajpat Nagar where Delhiites can learn about the features of the eco-friendly vehicle and different ownership and purchase models to buy the Ather 450X and Ather 450 ...
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Electric scooter maker Ather Energy has begun the deliveries of the Ather 450X in India’s capital city. Simultaneously, it has also begun test rides in Lajpat Nagar where Delhiites can learn about the features of the eco-friendly vehicle and different ownership and purchase models to buy the Ather 450X and Ather 450 Plus.
While the Ather 450X has an ex-showroom price of Rs146,926, the Ather 450 Plus costs Rs 127,916 in Delhi. The first Ather 450X in Delhi was delivered to Dr Pawan Munjal, Chairman and CEO of Hero MotoCorp, a couple of weeks ago.
Ather Energy says it has seen a surge in bookings, enquiries, and test ride requests in Delhi and has had to enter the market, prior to establishing their retail centres. The experience centre, Ather Space will open in May 2021 at Lajpat Nagar and will be Ather Energy’s third, company owned experience centre.
Key Delhi-NCR market is already warming up to the eco-friendly scooter (Image: Ather Energy/Twitter).
Ather Energy has set up 10 fast-charging points – called Ather Grid – across key hotspots in Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad and will install more charging points in the coming months. The company has partnered with national bodies like EESL to set up fast charging points across the city and will be looking to partner with progressive hosts including cafés, restaurants, tech parks, malls, and gyms which can offer EV owners’ easy accessibility, curb range anxiety, and ease the adoption of electric vehicles in Delhi. More than 128 public fast charging points, Ather Grid, are up across more than 18 cities in India.
Highlights of the Ather 450X
The Ather 450X, India’s quickest and smartest 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 has introduced a new high-performance mode, 'Warp'. Ather 450X can go from 0 to 40kph in just 3.3 sec in Warp mode, making it the quickest scooter in the 125cc category and the perfect choice to navigate through city traffic. The Ather 450X can charge a rate of 1.5km per minute, making it the fastest charging rate in the electric two-wheeler category.
Additionally, the electric scooter has a 4G SIM card and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing riders to manage phone calls and music on the touchscreen dashboard. The new 7” touchscreen dashboard, comes with a color depth of 16M and a Snapdragon Quad-Core processor. Ather 450X utilises Android Open Source to offer Google Map navigation, on-board diagnostics, and other unique features like Over-the-air updates, Auto Indicator off and Guide-me-home lights.
Ather Energy also offers a lower-powered Ather 450 Plus which offers a top speed of 70 kmph and a True Range of 70 km in Eco mode.
Ather Energy offers an Assured Buyback program on their vehicles which is a result of the company’s confidence in the battery and connected nature of its product. Under the Buyback program customers will get Rs. 85,000 as a guaranteed value for the Ather 450X at the end of 3 years. Ather vehicles are also available for lease, allowing customers to access a fully loaded Ather 450X with a down payment & a nominal monthly fee, starting at INR 3,394 per month.
Commenting on the company’s foray into Delhi-NCR, Ravneet Singh Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy, said: “The Delhi-NCR region is a very important market, and we are delighted by the positive response we’ve received so far. Since the launch of the Ather 450x last year, we have been receiving a lot of requests for test rides and bookings, and to start our operations here. This event marks the formal start of our operations, and we’re excited to be here."
"The Government of Delhi has introduced very progressive policies and initiatives like Switch Delhi and additional state-sponsored subsidy beyond FAME II, has made EVs more accessible. This makes Delhi the most attractive market for EVs, in terms of pricing. Ather Space, our experience centre, and all services will be managed directly by us so we can offer the best customer service to our Delhi-NCR community. Our experience centre will be up by May, meanwhile, consumers can enjoy the test rides and book the Ather 450X," he added.
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