Before the big bang of lightweight electric scooters in India, a company called Ather Energy released the 450X, a scooter that was described as India’s first premium electric scooter. While several e-scooters have been in the market prior to the 450’s debut, Ather’s electric two-wheeler raised the bar when it came to features and performance. Needless to say, Ather paved the way for more and more premium electric scooters in the market.
All that being said, Ather Energy isn’t sitting on its laurels when it comes to innovation. Following a recent investment from Hero MotoCorp amounting to $56 million, it goes without saying that Ather Energy will be rolling out new models very soon. True enough, in a report published by popular Indian motorcycling publication Bike Wale, Ather CEO Tarun Mehta, gave some insights regarding the company’s future. Particularly, the company looks forward to releasing two new variants to the highly popular 450 electric scooter range.
In India, Ather is now selling the 450 Plus and the 450X, with the latter raking in more sales due to its additional features and range. Now, the Bengaluru-based electric vehicle manufacturer is planning to release a new model with a range that is likely to be greater than the existing 450X. Because the aforementioned goal may necessitate a larger battery pack, the new scooter may boast a wider stance, as well as larger bodywork to account for the larger power unit. The top speed and performance, on the other hand, are projected to remain mostly unchanged.
The second new variation will most likely receive cosmetic changes in the form of new color options, with the current design remaining unchanged. While all these may be very exciting, it must be noted that the new 450 scooters are still in the development stage. They’re expected to go to market in the end of 2022 or early 2023.
Currently, Ather's top-of-the-line model is the 450X, which retails for the equivalent of about $1,973 USD. If Ather continues to grow in the following months and years, it's not out of the question that the Indian company would extend to other parts of Asia, and even Europe. Ola Electric, its closest competitor, also has intentions to expand to other parts of Asia.
