Ather needs an 'Aam Aadmi' model

Despite stepping well into his 70s, there is no respite in his preference for two wheels over four. Our car leads a charmed life, parked under a roof, regularly cleaned and serviced and rarely put to task.

shortbread recently shared this with other BHPians.

The quest for an electric scooter

My father always relied on two wheelers as his predominant choice of transportation. Despite stepping well into his 70s, there is no respite in his preference for two wheels over four. Our car leads a charmed life, parked under a roof, regularly cleaned and serviced and rarely put to task.

The two wheelers on the other hand are replaced every 3-4 years due to the mileage and perhaps more because of the abuse it endures. Presently his noble steed is an Activa 125 disc, which is due for replacement.

Having a considerable solar power set up at home, I recommended an electric scooter, specifically the Ather. He said he shall check it out.

In terms of competition, the Bajaj/TVS electric scooters haven't been launched in our city and have miniscule production runs. Bajaj just about manages to put together one Chetak a month!

The Ather

I liked Ather from day 1. An Indian startup that has taken a fresh approach and launched a really attractive product. I was really excited to learn my father's opinion after checking this out, very confident that he would be impressed.

The latter happened. He is convinced it is not for him. Says there is a lot happening, but all he wants is a scooter to take him from A to B. Few days later I asked him again, he said the experience was nice but he did not need all these features. I get the feeling he was intimidated by the tech.

An Aam Aadmi model

I understand Ather needs to differentiate itself in the market, especially the plethora of cheap chinese kit assembled contraptions that has sadly flooded India.

But there is a massive market out there who want a good electric scooter and are willing to pay a premium for the same. Yet what they need is electric replacements of their Activas and Scootys, not a Tesla on two wheels.

Charge it, start it, run it! No drama, no bluetooth connectivity, no phone apps, no voice commands, no customer exclusives. A simple good quality electric scooter with a speedo and battery charge/range indicator.

Perhaps buy the Lamby/Vijay/Lambretta brands when its up for sale soon and start a parallel range of mainstream e-scooters! I am sure there is a big vacuum for the same.

Thanks to shortbread once again! Check out BHPian comments for more insights & information.