Ather Energy has commenced deliveries of its electric scooters in Bangalore. Select customers were invited to the company's assembly unit to collect their Ather 450 e-scooter. Private charging stations have also been installed at their residences.

The Ather 340 and Ather 450 were launched in June 2018. The two models are priced at Rs. 1.10 lakh and Rs. 1.25 lakh (on-road, Bangalore), respectively.

The e-scooters come equipped with features like a 7.0-inch touchscreen instrument panel, LED lights and Parking Assist with a reverse mode. They are powered by a Brushless DC electric motor (BLDC). The Ather 340 has an output of 6 BHP and 20 Nm and comes with a 1.92 kWh lithium-ion battery, while the 450 variant makes 7.2 BHP and 20.5 Nm. It gets a 2.4 kWh lithium-ion battery. The claimed maximum range of the two scooters is 86 km and 107 km respectively. 

The e-scooters come equipped with a 200 mm disc brake at the front and a 190 mm disc brake at the rear. They get a combined braking system and regenerative braking.

Currently, the Ather 340 and Ather 450 e-scooters are only available in Bangalore. The company has started working on setting up its public charging network called Ather Grid in Chennai, where its first dealership is expected to be opened in Q2 2019. The company plans to launch its products in other cities in a phased manner.

Ather Energy is gearing up to start deliveries of its electric scooters on September 10, 2018.

The Bangalore-based start-up had announced the launch of the Ather 340 and Ather 450 in June 2018. The two models are priced at Rs. 1.10 lakh and Rs. 1.25 lakh (on-road, Bangalore), respectively.

The e-scooters are based on a hybrid chassis and are finished in dual-tone bodywork with green accents. They come equipped with a 7.0-inch touchscreen instrument panel, LED lights and Parking Assist with a reverse mode.

The e-scooters are powered by a Brushless DC electric motor (BLDC). The Ather 340 has an output of 6 BHP and 20 Nm and comes with a 1.92 kWh lithium-ion battery, while the 450 variant makes 7.2 BHP and 20.5 Nm and derives its power from a 2.4 kWh lithium-ion battery. The maximum range of the two scooters is claimed to be 86 km and 107 km respectively. 

The braking setup consists of a 200 mm disc brake at the front and a 190 mm disc brake at the rear. The scooters also get a combined braking system and regenerative braking.

Electric scooters are taking major US cities by storm, boosted by a huge rise in demand and additional funding.

These scooters first came into California and were deployed in the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. The companies responsible for this are three start-ups - Bird, Spin and LimeBike. The idea behind it was to provide last mile connectivity to commuters. Users can download the respective apps and rent these electric scooters to take them home. The app would direct them to the assigned scooter and unlock the vehicle remotely. After the ride, the users can simply leave them at the destination and forget about it.

The scooters are available on rent at a price of $1 along with an additional charge of 10 to 15 cents per minute to run them. This makes them significantly cheaper to use when compared to taxis and other ride-sharing services. At night, the companies employ people to find these scooters and charge them. They get paid between $5 to $20 per scooter, allowing some people to earn additional money over their regular jobs.

However, there are a few issues as well. The cities have now been found to be littered with electric scooters. Users leave them on sidewalks, in front of driveways and in front of access ramps for the disabled. This is hampering walking on the streets and restricting access for the disabled. The electric scooters, which can travel at around 24 km/h, are often found to be zooming on the sidewalks putting pedestrians at risk.

The start-ups are using the same strategy that Uber and Airbnb used. They came into the market when there were no specific rules and established themselves. With increasing popularity amongst the masses, they forced the local authorities to come up with regulations that allowed them to ply in the cities. City councils having been taken aback and are now trying to restrict the running of these scooters after receiving many complaints from residents. The city of Santa Monica, where Bird is based, filed a criminal complaint against the company and its founder, Mr. Travis VanderZanden, for running without a proper license and not complying with citations. Bird ended up paying a settlement. Mr. VanderZanden earlier worked for Uber and Lyft.

Meanwhile, the start-ups are also claiming to do their bit to reduce the menace. They have asked riders to park the scooters at designated places and be considerate to others around them. Bird is proposing asking the customers to send a picture of the parked vehicle after they finish using it. They are also providing customers with helmets, while at the same time, pushing for a removal of the helmet rule for electric scooters.

Even with the backlash against these companies, they are continuing to become more and more popular. They are expanding to other cities like Austin and Washington D.C. The problems with the city councils are also emerging in these cities.

However, investors see a successful business model in these companies after witnessing the success of Uber and Lyft. Bird has now raised $300 million in new funding, bringing the value of the company to $2 billion. Some of the major investors are Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners.

Sources: NY Times 1,2; Electrek, Bloomberg

Bangalore-based start-up Ather Energy has launched its first electric scooter in India. It is available in two variants - 340 and 450, priced at Rs. 1,09,750 and Rs. 1,24,750 (on-road, Bangalore) respectively. The prices include FAME subsidy of Rs. 22,000, GST, road tax, smart card fee, registration card and insurance. 

Additionally, the company is offering a subscription plan called Ather One, which gives customers free access to public and home charging points, free periodic maintenance including consumables, breakdown assistance and unlimited data services at Rs. 700 per month (excluding GST). A one-year subscription to Ather One will be free for the first few customers in addition to a home charging point and charging cable.

The electric scooter is based around a hybrid chassis and measures 1,800 mm in overall length, 700 mm in width and 1,250 mm in height. It has wheelbase of 1,278 mm and the kerb weight is 118 kg.

In terms of styling, the Ather e-scooter gets dual-tone bodywork finished in white and black with green highlights. It has LED lights at both ends. The fairing surrounding the handle houses the front indicators, while the rear turn signals are integrated into the side panels. The scooter comes with a 7.0-inch capacitive touchscreen instrument panel that has features like navigation, live location tracking, vehicle health and charge monitoring. It has mobile connectivity and supports over-the-air updates. The scooter also comes with Parking Assist with a reverse mode.

Both the Ather 340 and 450 are powered by a Brushless DC electric motor (BLDC). The 340 has a peak output of 6 BHP and 20 Nm of torque, while the 450 variant packs 7.2 BHP and 20.5 Nm of torque. The claimed 0-40 km/h acceleration times for the Ather 340 and 450 are 5.1 seconds and 3.9 seconds respectively. 

The 450 uses a 2.4 kWh lithium-ion battery, while the 340 comes with 1.92 kWh battery pack. The maximum range of the 450 and 340 is 107 km and 86 km respectively - as tested by the ARAI.

The Ather electric scooter rides on 12-inch alloy wheels shod with 90/90 section tubeless tyres at both ends. It has telescopic front suspension and a rear monoshock. The braking system consists of a 200 mm front disc with a 3-piston caliper and a 190 mm disc in the rear with a single-piston caliper setup. It has a combined braking system and regenerative braking as well.

Ather is offering 2 years / 30,000 km warranty on the scooter and 3 years / unlimited km warranty on the battery pack.

Bangalore-based Ather Energy is set to launch its first electric scooter, the S340 in India on June 5, 2018.

The Ather S340 has dual-tone bodywork with LED lights and a touchscreen instrument cluster offering features like navigation, profile-based sign in, predictive analytics and ride statistics. Each scooter is connected to a cloud-based system, which can deliver over the air vehicle updates. 

Powering the S340 is a 2.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which is IP67 water resistant. It has a claimed range of 60 km per charge and can be recharged to 80% of the total capacity in 1 hour using a fast charger. The battery is claimed to have a life of 50,000 km. 

Ather claims that the S340 will accelerate from 0-40 km/h in 5.1 seconds and has a top speed of 72 km/h. The S340 rides on telescopic front suspension and has a rear monoshock. Brakes come in the form of petal type discs at both ends.

Last month the company launched its electric charging network in Bangalore. These will be offered to EV owners free of cost for the next 6 months.

Thanks to Sreehari Variar for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page! 

Bangalore-based startup Ather Energy had unveiled the S340 - its first electric scooter in February 2016. While the launch of the e-scooter had been delayed, it now seems that the company is gearing up to introduce it in the India. 

Ather Energy claims that pre-production components from over 100 suppliers started arriving at its facility at Whitefield, Bangalore earlier this year and trial production of the e-scooter is already underway. The company aims to start commercial production in July 2018, while pre-orders are scheduled to be accepted in the month of June for customers in Bangalore.

According to the company, the S340 has undergone 4 years of development and 50,000 km of on-road testing. While the project did get delayed, the e-scooter received a few additional features and updates during this period. It is now equipped with a charging port, on-board charger and charging pod, waterproof dashboard, battery and charger, underseat storage with light, tooled up components and an improved user interface with service scheduling. It also has a combined braking system (CBS) with regenerative braking, motor cooling, parking assist, push navigation, charging locations tracking, EMI protection and supports over-the-air updates. 

Ather Energy is also setting up fast charging stations across Bangalore. Charging points will be installed over the coming months, ahead of the launch. The company will also be opening its first Experience Centre at Indiranagar in Bangalore in the month of June. 

Plans to launch the S340 in other parts of India are expected to be announced later this year.

TVS is reportedly developing a new parking assist system for electric scooters. The system will help manoeuvre e-scooters in tight places. It will also have a reversing feature.

Manoeuvring electric scooters in crowded parking lots can be tricky due to the instantaneous response from the electric motor. Besides this, the weight and proportions of an e-scooter alone can make the task of parking it a bit difficult for some people. As a solution to this, TVS is working on a parking assist system, which is expected to be offered on all future e-scooters made by the company. 

While, details about the system are scarce, media reports suggest that the system monitors the vehicle speed, throttle position and brake condition to assist the rider to move the scooter forwards or backwards. The system can only activate at speeds under 6 km/h. To activate the reversing feature, the scooter must be stationary. Neither the throttle nor the brake should be applied at this time. Once activated, the system can reverse the scooter at about 3-4 km/h. When reversing on an incline, the system can brake automatically to keep the speed in check. As an added safety measure, the hazard lights come on when Parking Assist in activated and a message is displayed on the dashboard.

TVS is yet to formally announce details about its Parking Assist feature.

Source: Bikewale

The Mahindra GenZe electric scooter has been spotted in India for the first time. The GenZe 2.0f e-scooter was caught testing in Pune and was reportedly clocked doing 30-40 km/h.

The GenZe 2.0 is based on an aluminium chassis and weighs 105 kg. This particular test mule is the 2.0f version. It has white and black bodywork with a circular LED headlamp and a 7.0-inch touchscreen instrument cluster. It is configured with a large storage box in place of a rear seat and has an electronically locking centre stand. Besides, the scooter has twin telescopic front forks and twin shock absorbers in the rear. 

A 1.6 kWh lithium-ion battery that has a maximum range of 48 km on a single charge powers the GenZe 2.0f. Riders can select between 3 riding modes. GenZe claims that the e-scooter can accelerate to its top speed of 48 km/h in less than 10 seconds.

In terms of features, the GenZe 2.0 comes with a mobile app that allows the rider to plan routes in advance. It displays the battery level with estimated range, riding statistics and also helps run a diagnostics check for issues. It has theft prevention feature where one can disable the scooter remotely. Other features include under-seat USB charging port, safety alerts and weather information.

GenZe is a Mahindra Group subsidiary, which manufactures and sells e-bikes in the US market. According to previous reports, Mahindra has been evaluating GenZe electric 2-wheelers for the Indian market. The recent spotting suggests that Mahindra might have commenced on-road trials of the e-bike. 

Source: Autocar India

Big shoutout to khan_sultan for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

Twenty Two Motors has launched the Flow electric scooter in India. The e-scooter is priced at Rs. 74,740 (ex-showroom).

It is powered by a DC motor which was developed by Bosch. The electric motor is powered by lithium-ion batteries, which unlike other e-bikes is portable. The scooter also has artificial intelligence (AI) built into it. For more on the Flow e-scooter checkout our coverage here.

Big shoutout to khan_sultan for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

Hero Electric has showcased 8 new electric 2-wheelers at the 2018 Auto Expo. These include four electric bicycles from A2B - a UK-based subsidiary of the company. 

Checkout our detailed coverage of the Hero Electric pavilion here.