[TusharK]

Ather Energy is now offering Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) as an accessory with the 450X electric scooter. It is priced at Rs 4,999.



The TPMS developed by Ather Energy is housed inside the wheel and replaces the standard valve stem. The sensors run on internal batteries and seamlessly connect to the scooter's dashboard.



Users can check the tyre pressures under the 'Tyre Info' tab. The same can be accessed via the Ather app on a smartphone.



The recently launched TVS iQube also comes with TPMS. However, this feature is available only on the top-spec 'ST' variant. That being said, TPMS is not offered on the Ola S1 and S1 Pro.

Link to Team-BHP News

[SS80]

TPMS is of more use in a car and hardly ever needed on a 2 wheeler. Lack of new products is probably making them give such unwanted add ons. They can't drop the price lower, they don't have an updated version or model to launch.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by SS80

TPMS is of more use in a car and hardly ever needed on a 2 wheeler.

Why would you say that?? In a car, the wrong pressure / puncture / tyre burst could lead to an accident in most cases, and an injury or fatality in a few. But on a motorcycle or scooter, it would lead to a fall which almost always results in bodily harm.

[ninjatalli]

For a price conscious segment as much as the 2-wheeler segment is, this is one accessory that I don't think is going to do wonders for the brand. Good accessory to have but already given the pricing of Ather vs the competition, I would probably bet this on not making much sales.

[jalsa777]

Originally Posted by SS80

TPMS is of more use in a car and hardly ever needed on a 2 wheeler. Lack of new products is probably making them give such unwanted add ons. They can't drop the price lower, they don't have an updated version or model to launch.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

For a price conscious segment as much as the 2-wheeler segment is, this is one accessory that I don't think is going to do wonders for the brand. Good accessory to have but already given the pricing of Ather vs the competition, I would probably bet this on not making much sales.

Considering the state of the competition, read it as unsafe and malfunctioning products, Ather really is the only serious player at this moment. There's really no other option for an informed buyer. And their production isn't even fulfilling the demand. Hence, i don't see any point in bashing them on their pricing strategy.

Now, coming to the accessory part; It's just an accessory, some might find it useful while some won't. Once you own electric, you realize that tyre pressures are often forgotten because the nudge of checking the pressures when you visit the fuel pump is missing. Not only is this a safety issue, but even the range of the vehicle is affected by tyre pressure to a much large degree than in ICE vehicles. So, offering the accessory does make sense.

As an owner, am i going to purchase this; NO. I have a small battery operated inflator and I am very diligent about checking the pressures every 2 weeks. As a rider, I have enough feel to understand the feedback the vehicle is giving me to know if the pressures are off by a few PSI. My usage pattern is also not range bound and hence a few KMs range here or there doesn't really matter to me. However, if this scooter were for someone else in my family, i probably would have thought it worthy of an investment in TPMS.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by jalsa777

Considering the state of the competition, read it as unsafe and malfunctioning products, Ather really is the only serious player at this moment. There's really no other option for an informed buyer. And their production isn't even fulfilling the demand. Hence, i don't see any point in bashing them on their pricing strategy.

Depends on whom we are referring to as the customer. My extended family opted for the much cheaper Ampere Magnes Ex, after evaluating the Ola as too untrustworthy and Ather as too expensive paying for additional features that they feel they will never use.

And they aren't alone - there's an extended (limited but) growing group of fellow buyers like them who are opting (or already have opted) for the Hero/Greaves/TVS options instead of the expensive Ather. Company names they trust in since ages and find the product & pricing good enough. There's a good reason Ather sales haven't picked up as much as they should have (if they are the only worthwhile product in the market).

As an owner, am i going to purchase this; NO.

Thank you. You just supported my point - we all have our reasons. I do a check on my vehicles every odd week; my extended family do that every time they fill up. As I said, TPMS is a good feature to have. Will people splurge an additional 5k after already spending a premium for this scooter? My guess is they won't.

Maybe the segment that is not price-conscious will spend I guess. Tbhp forum is a good representative of that.

[Rahulkool]

Originally Posted by SS80

TPMS is of more use in a car and hardly ever needed on a 2 wheeler. Lack of new products is probably making them give such unwanted add ons. They can't drop the price lower, they don't have an updated version or model to launch.

Its more useful on bike than car. Loss in tyre pressure on two wheeler affects the handling and reduces the range in battery powered bikes. In my experience loss of tyre pressure is more in the two wheelers, i am not sure of the reason. I have observed max 2-3psi pressure loss in car, usually i fill every 15 days. On bikes i have seen pressure loss of even 10-15psi in the same duration or less.

[jalsa777]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Depends on whom we are referring to as the customer. My extended family opted for the much cheaper Ampere Magnes Ex, after evaluating the Ola as too untrustworthy and Ather as too expensive paying for additional features that they feel they will never use.

And they aren't alone - there's an extended (limited but) growing group of fellow buyers like them who are opting (or already have opted) for the Hero/Greaves/TVS options instead of the expensive Ather. Company names they trust in since ages and find the product & pricing good enough. There's a good reason Ather sales haven't picked up as much as they should have (if they are the only worthwhile product in the market).

Except TVS, the others in the list above are all effectively just importing kits from China and assembling them here. Nothing wrong in doing that per se, but the quality and safety problems that are plaguing the other brands are also plaguing these supposedly trustworthy brands. TVS and Bajaj were barely available until now, let's see how their strategy pans out.

Hence, i emphasized that the INFORMED consumer doesn't really have options right now. Obviously, there are consumers who have different priorities, safety not being high on that list, and they are and will continue to buy the other products which fit their budget and requirements.
I am not saying who's right and who's wrong, all i want to say is that Ather has no need 'at this moment' to revisit its pricing strategy. But, the world moves fast....

[am1m]

Originally Posted by jalsa777

Once you own electric, you realize that tyre pressures are often forgotten because the nudge of checking the pressures when you visit the fuel pump is missing.

This is such a pertinent point! Never thought about this, but so true- the only time I check tyre pressure is when I'm filling petrol, either the car or bike. Till I read this, even I thought, "not really a useful feature", but now I realize this makes a lot of sense for an EV. Thanks for pointing this out! Not many people will diligently check tyre pressure outside of fuel pumps and hardly anyone will bother to check and inflate at home. I certainly don't- even though I have a portable inflator in the car for emergencies!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by jalsa777

Hence, i emphasized that the INFORMED consumer doesn't really have options right now. Obviously, there are consumers who have different priorities, safety not being high on that list, and they are and will continue to buy the other products which fit their budget and requirements.

As far as my knowledge goes, none of the three 2-wheeler giants I mentioned have faced any incidents; that has been the area of Ola, Okinawa, Pure and a few more new companies. I'd be happy to be 'informed' of any similar (problem) cases of EVs from the house of TVS/Greaves/Hero (& Bajaj).

I guess time will tell - we can check after a year or two once EVs get more common if the premium (~1.5x - 2x the price) paid for Ather makes sense, especially for buyers who doesn't feel the additional features are required. And hence my original point about the TPMS which you have rightly quantified of my hypothesis/point (of existing Ather owners not going for it)

And wrt the safety of these specific brands from these orgs really have a safety issue like the Olas & Pure EV options should get cleared in time too. So far I don't see a concern to pay nearly double the premium, but yes, time will tell. My prediction is Ather will eventually scale down with cheaper options in a year or so.

I think I'll halt on this slightly OT discussion. Would look forward to the experience(s) of the few actually making the purchase of this feature.

[Turbohead]

I don't know why but two wheeler tires tend to lose air pressure very quickly compared to car tires. And I don't understand why two wheelers don't have TPMS when cars have them.

At ₹5k, it's a bit expensive for a two wheeler but it's totally worth it if it lasts atleast 5-8 years considering fuel/ range loss which is painful today.

Unlike many members here, most households don't have a tire pump at home and such features really are useful- it's a pain to wait for your turn at the petrol pump, especially when you're late for work.

And I would definitely buy it- not everyone at home knows if the tire has sufficient air pressure and this will be helpful.

[ASP_73]

Originally Posted by jalsa777

I have a small battery operated inflator and I am very diligent about checking the pressures every 2 weeks. As a rider, I have enough feel to understand the feedback the vehicle is giving me to know if the pressures are off by a few PSI.

It makes more sense to introduce a reliable tyre inflator as an accessory for EV.

It is right time for Indian manufacturers to take up indigenous large scale manufacturing of portable inflators along with advent of EVs. Good opportunity for Ola, TVS, Bajaj to handhold capable component suppliers and introduce a branded inflator that can be seamlessly packaged with vehicle if one wants.