Ather Energy has launched a new, entry-level 450X electric scooter at Rs 98,183 (ex-showroom, Delhi with FAME II and state subsidy), but with the slow charger. The new entry-level variant is targetted at customers who want a no frills 450X, without making major compromises. For those looking to buy an Ather 450X with all bells and whistles, there’s the Pro Pack equipped variant that costs an additional Rs 30,000 and includes a fast charger. The Pro Pack variant is roughly Rs 11,000 more affordable than the previous top-spec variant of the 450X.
- New entry-level 450X to make the scooter more accessible
- Skips 4G LTE sim, Bluetooth, navigation and fast charging
- New Pro Pack equipped version gets all bells and whistles
Ather 450X entry level variant: what’s new
Before we begin, the commonalities between the two variants are that they share the same design, chassis, wheels, suspension and the same set of colour options. The 6.4kW motor is the same and so is the max torque (26Nm), top speed (90kph) and gradeability (20 degrees).
Ather has managed to introduce this new lower-spec 450X by omitting a host of features. To begin with, the new entry-level Ather 450X doesn’t get any ride modes. Instead, there’s a default mode, which offers full performance at all times. Which is why the claimed 0-40kph times of the lower-spec 450X and the one with the Pro Pack is the same at 3.3s and so is the case with the top speed at 90kph.
The other omissions include park assist (reverse feature), hill-hold assist, Bluetooth connectivity as well as the 4G LTE sim. This means there can’t be any live tracking, no GPS navigation and no OTA updates.
Even the 7-inch touchscreen display has a more basic, greyscale colour interface instead of the multi-colour display on the top variant.
Over and above this, what comes as a big surprise is that the lower cost scooter gets the same 3.7kWh battery pack. However, the catch is that the base model gets far bigger charging times. While the time taken to charge the battery on the 450X Pro Pack is 5hr40min, the time taken to recharge the battery in the base variant is 15h20min.
This gaping difference in charging times is because the low-spec variant gets a significantly slower home charger. We reached out to Ather Energy to know if a customer can buy the faster home charger that’s part of the Pro Pack, and we are awaiting a response from them. Speaking of faster charging, the base 450X cannot be charged at Ather’s fast charging network as well.
As for battery warranty, the base 450X comes with a 3 years/30,000km warranty while the Pro Pack equipped scooter has a 5 years/60,000km warranty. The warranty on the vehicle and charger is the same for both variants at 3 years/30,000km.
Ather 450X entry-level variant competition
This fresh pricing puts the base Ather 450X more or less on par with the iQube S (with the cost of the TVS charger included) and the Ola S1. The new entry-level Ather 450X offers better performance and top speed than the TVS iQube S. On the other hand, the Ola S1 is marginally slower than the Ather 450X from 0-40kph, but has a marginally higher top speed of 95kph, while the Ather tops out at 90kph. The Ola’s certified range is also a tad lower at 141km as against the Ather's 146km.
In many ways, the Ather 450X is a lot more affordable than before while offering sporty performance that enthusiasts on a budget would appreciate. That said, for Rs 30,000 extra, the Pro Pack equipped 450X also makes a strong case for those who desire a fully-loaded electric scooter.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
