Ather 340 and 450, electric scooter launched

Ather has surprised with the launch of not one, but two electric scooters called the 340 and the 450. The Ather 340  is priced at Rs 1,09,750, whereas the Ather 450 retails for Rs 1,24,750 (both prices on-road Bengaluru) with sales limited only to Bengaluru for now. The prices include RTO tax, Rs 22,000 subsidy, insurance, handling charges, GST, smart card fee and registration card. It's the most expensive scooter in India right now, but there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.

But don’t let that expensive price tag fool you. For the prices announced, you don’t just get the scooter, but it also includes the standard installation costs, a charging cable and a one-year subscription plan of Rs 9912 (incl. GST).

What all does the subscription plan include, you ask? For starters, Ather won’t take a single penny for charging the scooter at any of the AtherGrid points installed in the city. That’s not all, the company will even reimburse the amount spent on charging the scooter at home. This will be done every three months via a payment wallet.

The subscription also covers all maintenance work, including RSA. So, labour charges, replacement of parts under regular maintenance and even consumables like brake pads will be covered.

Apart from this, you also get a 2 year/30,000km warranty on the scooter and a 3 year/unlimited kilometre warranty for 70 per cent charge holding capacity of the battery. Data services like navigation, vehicle diagnostics and over the air updates are also covered under the subscription.

Coming to the scooter itself, the 340 and the 450 are propelled by a brushless DC motor (BLDC) and use an indigenously-developed battery pack and battery management system. The motor generates 20Nm on the 340 and 20.5Nm on the 450. On the performance front, the company claims that the 340 can achieve a top speed of 70kmph while the 450 is good for 80kmph. Acceleration is also strong - the 340 clocks the 0-40kmph sprint in a claimed 5.1 seconds, while the 450 manages the same in 3.9 seconds. The company claims a maximum realistic range of 75km for the 450 and 60km for the 340, although the ARAI certified ranges are much higher.

The suspension setup comprises of telescopic forks at the front and a monoshock unit at the rear. The electric scooter also features a 200mm front disc and a 190mm rear disc, with regenerative braking and combined braking system (CBS) for added safety.

Other scooters, competing against the Ather 340 & 450 are the Okinawa Praise (Rs 59,899) and the Twenty Two Motors Flow (Rs 74,740) (all prices ex-showroom). To know more about the scooter, read our in-depth first ride review or watch the video review on YouTube.

Source: ZigWheels.com