There was a lot to unpack from Ather Community Day 2023, which included new features, additions, design changes and new colours
Ather community day was held today in Bangalore. The company embarked on how this community is special over the last one. At the last event, Ather only had around 6,000 users and today, it is around 80,000 owners. 40,000 of which were clocked in the past 6 months. Ather is optimistic that the next 40,000 users will be clocked in the next 3 months.
With a cumulative 500 million kilometers covered, Ather is confident that the Billion Kilometer mark will be covered within the next three months. At this event, Ather stressed how software, or Firmware as they call it, is the most paramount on an electric vehicle. There have been multiple iterations of AtherStack software enabling multiple features along the way. On this platform, Ather announced AtherStack 5.0. There are new features enabled. Let’s take a look.
2023 Ather Electric Scooter Updates
With AtherStack 5.0, there is a new user interface for users to navigate the system with. With better swipe recognition and touch recognition, there is a fluidic space to enhance user experience. This is a lot smarter than before. Ather is trying to push tapping functionality to gesture-based interactions which are easier to use.
There is an attempt by Ather to transform the touchscreen interface to mimic that of a smartphone. Icons like Bluetooth and network lie where they would on a phone. Ather says that 450X is the first scooter in the world with Google Maps. Ather is now introducing vector maps that enable zooming, rotating, perspective change and even layering.
450X and 450 Plus owners now get live traffic integrated as well. This is more in line with Google Maps on a phone. Along with these, Ather is introducing AutoHold feature which mimics mechanical brake locks on a conventional scooter. This had been under testing for 2 years. Ather intends to bring in Cruise control, Crawl control and advanced regen in the coming months.
Ather Battery Protect went live in December 2022. It is a 2-year additional warranty, extending warranty to 5 years or 60,000 km. It covers 100% coverage of any failures. Performance Guarantee is also in this package, which assures range and performance at 70% even at the end of 5 years, and even deep discharge protection. Or else, Ather will replace components free of charge. Ather Battery Protect is standard with new 450X and Gen 2 and Gen 3 owners can buy at a discounted price in January 2023.
New Colours For 450X
Trip Planner saw enhancements as well and now includes return journeys with multiple stops. Ather has installed up to 900 fast-charging grid points and by March 2023, there will be 1300 pan India. Ather has now developed a 3.3 kW universal AC charger that can charge cars, 2W and has a scan and pay system as well. This is a scalable install and can be of any number at your approved building.
Ather has also revealed a new seat for 450x. It is plusher and is more comfortable than before. Everyone that attended Community day, will get a free seat upgrade. Further, Ather demonstrated new merchandise including t-shirts and more. Lastly, Ather announced new colours for 450X. There are 4 new colours, Lunar Grey with Red accents, Cosmic Black with Aqua Blue accents, True Red with White accents and Salt Green with Orange accents. Salt Green replaces Mint Green which is offered today.
Source: Electric - rushlane.com
