Ather’s iQube rival spied testing in Bengaluru

This will be Ather’s long-awaited family scooter.

Published On Nov 16, 2023 01:38:00 PM

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Ather’s iQube rival spied testing in Bengaluru

A couple of weeks back, we published images of a new electric scooter on test in Bengaluru. At the time, we were unsure of what it was, but there were signs that it was the upcoming Ather family scooter. We have now received fresh images of the scooter and can now confirm that this is indeed Ather’s all-new EV.

Spacious seating position
No hub-mounted motor
More conventional styling

The original spy photos showed only the face of the scooter, which left things a little uncertain. However, these new images give us an idea of what the side and rear sections look like and there is quite a bit that can be discerned.

The overarching theme is of this being a more conventionally designed, family-style scooter. It’s no secret that Ather is working on such a product and we now have an idea of what it will look like. In fact, all the zooming in to study the images shows that the camouflage has what appears to be a cartoon family with a mother, father and child. This doesn't come as a surprise as Ather has always had a sense of fun with its products and marketing strategies.

Look past the cartoons and you’ll see that the profile shows what appears to be a flat floorboard and a large, spacious-looking seat. The handlebar also seems to be set at a comfortable height, which should address one of the main issues with the current Ather 450 platform. There’s also a large and practical-looking grab handle at the back.

On the theme of practicality, there is a large, foldable pillion footrest on the left side as well as built in platforms for the pillion’s feet on both sides of the scooter. The mudguards on both ends also appear to be quite substantial, which should address another issue that some current Ather customers have reported.

Finally, the belt drive system is now concealed, which will improve the durability of the system. Interestingly, this scooter doesn’t have a hub motor like we’ve seen on multiple low-cost EVs. This suggests that while this scooter is designed to be practical, it will still be a premium product. The premium touches can also be seen in things like the stylish-looking mirror stalks and the rather curvaceous lines of the rear end along with a sleek LED tail-lamp. The side stand also appears to be a nice-looking alloy unit.

The spy images don’t show much of the display, but this could be the same ‘DeepView’ segmented LCD unit from the 450S. Of course, while there is no indication of the performance and battery specs yet, it would be reasonable to assume something along the lines of the 450S, which claims a real-world range of 90km and a top speed of 90kph.

Chassis-wise, it appears like the bike has a 12-inch front wheel along with a disc brake. Things aren’t as clear at the rear in terms of whether it has a disc or drum brake. This will be Ather’s first all-new EV since the 450 range went on sale in 2018. It remains to be seen whether Ather has persisted with its expensive aluminium chassis or moved to something more cost-effective with this product, although the latter is far more likely.

We expect the Ather family scooter to debut sometime early next year and be priced closer to the likes of the TVS iQube range, if not a bit more. We’ll share more updates on this eagerly anticipated product as we receive them.