After tasting success in its hometown Bangalore, Ather Energy has begun its full-fledged operations in Chennai. The EV-startup organised an event for the potential customers who expressed their interest in the Ather 450. Bookings for the same are also scheduled to begin on July 9, but the interest shown by the viewers forced the brand to open online bookings and the first batch has already been filled.
For Chennai, the Ather 450 is priced at INR 1.31 lakh (on-road), with a booking amount of INR 5,000. The electric scooter is around INR 8,000 more expensive in Chennai in comparison to the on-road price in Bengaluru. The deliveries for the first batch will begin in September, which will be followed by the second batch in between November and December. After that, the deliveries for the Ather 450 will take place in February next year. Ather has also listed the lease program in Chennai, with rentals starting at INR 2,517 per month, as they did with its scooters in Bengaluru.
Ather Energy is working on expanding to multiple cities over the next couple of years. The company has set an ambitious target of achieving a sales figure of one lakh units by June 2021. After the introduction in Chennai, Ather plans on setting up operations in Pune, followed by Mumbai and Delhi in 2020. To make their operations successful in Chennai, Ather began setting up its AtherGrid infrastructure in the city a couple of months ago with multiple charging points set up across the region.
The Ather 450 is equipped with a 5.4kW, BLDC motor that is capable of producing a maximum torque of 20.5 Nm. The top speed of 80 kmph makes it one of the fastest electric scooters you can buy in India. The electric scooter offers a true range of 55-75 km.
After getting approved for the FAME II subsidy, the scooter saw an on-road price reduction of INR 5,000 and now it is priced at INR 1.23 lakh in Bengaluru. The company is also working on a more affordable electric vehicle which is certainly a long time away and it will attract a larger consumer base.
