In two years of operations, Ather Energy has expanded to 8 cities with business getting a boost via new financing and ownership models. Ather 450 being the manufacturer’s first product. Since 2018, the company has launched Ather 340, Ather 450, and Ather 450X. Through 2020, Ather will enter 8 more cities. They will also launch the Ather 450 Plus within the next 6 months.
Having introduced OTA upgrades to customers, the company has successfully added new ride modes, new features and improved its ride and ownership experience. With 6 Over The Air (OTA) software upgrades, Ather 450s have been continuously improved since launch. This convenience means all vehicles delivered are upgraded at ease.
With EVs being a fairly new category in the country, Ather offers a range of finance plans to make EV adaption easier for customers. Lease plans make ownership easier without a long term commitment. Ather 450X was launched earlier this year in January 2020. With this the company introduced a battery subscription model.
With this, the consumer pays for the scooter, without the cost of the battery. Battery cost is paid through a monthly subscription model. This not only reduces overall scooter sticker price but comes with lifelong battery warranty for the duration of the subscription plan.
Ather plans to introduce a vehicle exchange programme so scooter owners can tread the electric vehicle path. Furthermore, the manufacturer will roll out new ownership plans in the months to come. Ather experience centres through dealerships will become operational at Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Coimbatore, and other cities.
The new 400,000 sq ft Ather manufacturing facility in Hosur will start operations later in 2020. Tarun Mehta, Co-founder and CEO Ather Energy said, “The lockdown helped us reevaluate and reassess our long term goals. We are going to open as many avenues as possible to promote electric vehicles. From introducing new ownership models and to continue offering the most varied financing options, we will ensure that owning an E2W is a hassle-free proposition for any consumer. Exciting times ahead for Ather and the EV industry.”
So far, Ather scooters collectively have collectively traversed over 1.11 million (11.1 lakh) kilometres. The most a single Ather 450 has travelled, has been reported as 26,600 km. In terms of electric mobility, India has seen large orders for EV public transport. When compared to cars, scooters have fared better with the number of electric scooter offering having increased largely in recent years. Over time, more people have been buying electric scooters.
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