Ather Energy has made the Ather 450X electric scooter more accessible to the masses by introducing a more affordable variant priced just under Rs 1 lakh. While the entry-level model shares the same electric motor and battery pack as its premium version, some advanced features such as fast charging, riding modes, and connected technology have been left out. Moreover, the introduction of this variant marks the end of the Ather 450 Plus in the company’s stable.

The base variant of Ather 450X comes with a price tag of Rs 98,079 (ex-showroom New Delhi, after FAME II and state subsidies) and can be upgraded with more features using the Pro Pack, which costs an additional Rs 30,364. The Pro Pack-equipped Ather 450X comes with a 5-year/60,000km warranty for the battery pack, while the base variant gets a 3-year/30,000km warranty. Both variants come with a 3-year/30,000km warranty on the vehicle and the charger. The Ather 450X is available in six colour options, including True Red, Cosmic Black, Space Grey, Lunar Grey, Salt Green, and Still White.

Mechanically, the Ather 450X base variant remains almost identical to the premium version and features a 6.2kW motor and 3.7kWh battery pack. The electric scooter provides a claimed range of 143km and a top speed of 90kmph. However, the base variant does not support fast charging and could take up to 15 hours and 20 minutes to charge the battery fully. The entry-level model also misses out on ride modes, park assist, hill-hold assist, Bluetooth connectivity, GPS navigation, live tracking, and OTA updates.

The Ather 450X with the Pro Pack gets all these features, allowing for faster charging time of just 5 hours and 40 minutes. With the Pro Pack, the Ather 450X also gets a 5-year/60,000km battery warranty, in addition to the other warranties. The purchase of the Pro Pack is optional and comes at an extra cost.

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The Indian electric vehicle market has seen increasing figures in the last few years. So much so that, many local makers have already shifted and are shifting to the EV sector in the country. Ather, which is currently India’s top electric scooter maker, has already captured a big chunk of the market. Now, as per new reports, the company is planning to increase its production to 1 million EVs a year, thanks to the increasing demand.

The electric vehicle demand has soared in the last few years, however, it still captures only 1% of the total Indian motorbike and scooter market. However, because fuel costs have surged and purchasers see no significant long-term pricing differences between an EV and a gasoline vehicle, the sector is projected to experience continuous expansion, with EVs soon dominating the motorbike and scooter market.

Considering this factor, Ather’s CEO Tarun Mehta has aimed to ramp up EV production. Mehta plans to increase the company’s annual production to 1 million scooters. This will be way higher than the current production of 400,000. The company also aims to install 5,000 fast chargers across the streets of India and set up over 600 stores in the country.

Evidently, for ramping the production and gearing for more EV infrastructure, the company needs more funds. As of now, the company has raised Rs. 1,200 crores ever since its emergence back in 2013. The major investors were HeroMotoCorp and Tiger Global.

This time around, Mehta aims to raise way more funding, but unfortunately, he hasn’t revealed the exact figures needed. However, rumors have it that Ather plans to raise a total of $133 million. Out of which, it has already raised $56 million(Rs. 420 crores) so far from Hero MotoCorp.

Apart from electric scooters, Mehta is also interested in other commercial vehicles. He said, “The next thing that excites me is trucks and buses – it is low volume but massive energy consumption.”

Does that mean we’ll also see other electric vehicles from Ather? What do you think? Tell us in the comments.

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