[PraNeel]

Ather 7 inch screen display explained in detail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG-f5w8ZwWQ

[dreamseller]

Here's my first impression of the Ather S450. Got the opportunity to ride the Ather S450 for about 20 minutes or so, over both good tarmac and broken path.

Things I liked:

• Well put together scooter for a first time manufacturer. Checked a test mule too, with mileage north of 30k kms and the plastics still looked quite good
• The design is (for lack of a better word) minimalistic
• The acceleration is instant; especially the roll-on. Not something I'm used to in a scooter
• Very capable handler for a scooter (maybe I'd switch the MRFs with Michelins, but that's about it)
• The touchscreen console is something I won't be bored with, for a long time to come
• The scooter comes with an in-built 3G SIM that helps to make it smart
• It comes with a reverse gear!

Things I didn't:

• The mirrors look beautiful, but absolutely useless. I could only see my paunch in them
• I could live with a more spacious scooter, and by that I mean space for the rider
• The firmer rear suspension might not be liked by everyone. I didn't ride with a pillion so can't comment how good the pillion comfort is
• Being a motorcycle rider, I'm used to the front brakes, which lack bite. In contrast, the rear wheel locks at will

I have ridden quite a few scooters in my riding life - from my Dad's LML NV to the latest crop of gearless Activa-esque ones. So, this ride brought back memories.
The scooter is a joy to commute with; it's lithe and compact. The chassis (they had one on display) design is clean, as is the external body. There are no busy design lines, and it looks like a classic case of function over form. Looks are subjective, but I personally like how the end product has come out to be. And not to mention, that lovely shade of white accentuates it.
During my short ride, I threw it over potholes and while the suspension wasn't as supple as I'd expect a scooter suspension to be, this same firmness shone on clean tarmac. It inspired confidence to get better lean angles than I'd be comfortable with on a scooter. Another thing I noticed is that since there is no sound, one wouldn't realise the speeds one ends up doing. Good thing it doesn't go beyond 80km/hr.





The battery position in the floorboard helps to keep the center of gravity low. I've been told the front-rear weight distribution is 51:49. Add this to the firm suspension, it contributes to the stable feel. The battery has it's own sink which is air cooled. It also comes with an IP67 certification, and that enables the scooter to wade through 300mm of water, if necessary. The motor has it's own fan, though, to aid cooling. While riding, one can only hear the eerie whizz of this fan in an otherwise quiet vehicle.

The flip-side of having compact dimensions is the lack of space. The front end of the seat is quite low. While this is good news for shorter riders, but if someone like me (6ft tall) wants to sit comfortably she/he will not have any space for a pillion. Not to mention, the knees foul with the handle at full lock.






The storage space is decent, and it devours a full-face helmet as shown in the picture below. It, however, didn't accommodate my Shoei helmet. The white strip behind the helmet are the LEDs that light up the storage compartment.



The star of the show, for me, was the versatile console. It is IP65 rated, and comes with a host of features - regular tell-tale numbers, distance to empty, navigation, reverse mode, among other things. The "Park Assist" in the bottom left is the reverse mode, with a top speed of 3km/hr.



Don't miss the icon showing GSM network at the top left - it comes with a 3G SIM. Among other things, it constantly sends your ride data from the IMU to a database so that your scooter learns and adapts to your riding style. In the settings, one can also get OTA updates for firmware. In case one doesn't want to share data with Ather, one can also switch that off in settings.



This, I reckon, is the best feature of the screen in a city like Bangalore. The navigation can be used with the app installed in your phone - provide the destination in the app, and start the navigation on your scooter.



Other small but nifty design elements I liked were how the side stand flush fits into the body, or how the pillion footpegs are cleanly integrated into the design.



Even this tyre inflation valve is well thought of, to make filling air more convenient. Don't miss the belt drive.



In the end, while riding back to work on the Daytona, I couldn't help but think how impressed I am with this little scooter. And equally so with this infant automobile company. I just might end up buying my first scooter, albeit only after a more comprehensive riding experience.

[hemanth.anand]

After having booked the 450 on 5th, I visited the Ather experience centre today in Indiranagar to take a test ride. I had written in my earlier post that I'm in no hurry. But now after today's experience, I can't wait to have the vehicle in my hand. the detailed experience follows...

Charging an EV on the Ather grid

I drove an E2O plus to the Ather experience centre to particularly check the charging facilities. Being a Saturday I had prepared myself not to get a parking/charging slot. I was proven wrong. As soon as I reached there, One of the many Ather executives greeted me. I told him that I wanted to charge my car while I take a test ride of the Ather for which I had actually come. He immediately made space for my car and asked me to plug in my charger. Upon scanning the bar code through the Ather grid app (I had pre-installed and registered in this app) The charging started. However, soon the app displayed an error "vehicle not detected". This happened in all the charging stations. They were puzzled as they said they had charged many E2Os. They told me to take the Ather test ride while they sort out the charging issue. Anyway, I was not that worried since the E2O plus still had enough charge to take me home.

Open the flap on the station and plug in your 5A charger. When you open the flap, the light glows red on the console body. Close the flap it the light glows green. To charge an Ather, you'll have the plug in the station itself.


Open the flap and the light glows red


Close it and it'll glow green

On the Ather grid app, scan the QR code that's printed on the station and select the time you want to charge the vehicle. it is in the multiples of 30 mins. I chose 1 hour and said ok.


Duration of charge

It immediately syncs with the server and the charging begins!

Time remaining.


Technical glitch

Charging any EV is free for the first 6 months!

Test Ride

Within 5 minutes after this, my licence details and phone number was taken. Upon receiving an OTP for confirmation, we were good to go.

First to ride was my wife who would be the principal user of the scooter. The executive explained all features of the vehicle to her including the reverse.
She was particularly happy about the huge under-seat storage but she was surprised that there was no fold-able foot rest at the rear. She told that it would be needed for ladies who would want to climb up on one side when wearing a saree or something similar. I think she had a valid point (which I never thought of). Hopefully it can be added as an accessory. She was then handed over the Key.


That's one loooong key! A simple flipkey would've been better here

My wife sat on it and my daughter joined her. She had enough room to stand there. seeing the kid, the executive warned my wife to be careful about the the sudden acceleration and sharp brakes so that the kid doesn't get hit (to the handle area). He put on the navigation. it was a breeze and off they went without making any noise!


Enough space for one kid to easily stand on the floorboard.
Be careful of sudden acceleration and sharp brakes when a kid is standing!


While I was waiting, Co-founder of Ather, Tarun Mehta, came out seeing the E2O. He introduced himself to me once he came to know that I had got the E2O and that there was some issue with the charging. He told that this is the first E2O plus and they were not sure if it was because of that (they had charged many E2Os and not an E2O plus it seems). They called and checked with their back-end team and got a response that there is some technical issue with E2O plus compatibility and it'll be sorted out in the next days.

I then told him that I've already booked the 450 on June 5th, and soon we were talking about the 450. I could see the excitement in him and why wouldn't he be. He invited me inside the experience centre and I told I would join soon after my wife returns and I complete my test ride.

My wife returned and the first thing she spoke "it is Awesome" with a happy glow in her eyes. That's it, deal made!

I took the scooter. The first thing that catches your eyes is the 7" display which is well laid out and easy to read during day time too.

Large display

I turned the accelerator and immediately I noticed how well it accelerates. Not sudden at all as I had expected, Just perfect.
I rode in all the interior roads around the area for 10 minutes. As many have already told, brakes are sharp. Front Bybre disc brakes really have amazing bite. People have to get used to it. Rear disc brake has a tendency to get locked too soon. But, with time, it'll be ok I feel. I stopped for a quick photo session


Front View


Rear view. I'm a fan of those tail lamps


Glowing indicators-Beautiful


Ather naming on the side and see the green painted monoshocks spring

I returned mightily impressed. I was instructed to park it in one of the charging bays and the vehicle was put to charge. As I parked, I experienced that the vehicle leans a little too much to the side before resting on the side stand. Also here I observed that there is no centre stand! These 2 things may pose a small problem in parking the scooter in tight-spots. Hopefully this is also added as an accessory later.


The test ride vehicle getting charged.

Inside the experience centre

As soon as you enter the building, you are greeted by an obituary! What a wonderfully shown message


Is it the end???

Then we saw two Scooters parked for the viewing pleasure


Minimalistic


Beautiful


Glowing white LED headlamp look so beautiful.
Have to see the real world performance of these lights

Further ahead, saw this beautiful skeleton of aluminium.

Clean indeed


Designed from scratch

Tarun came to me explained a few things about the chassis and then started showing around the experience centre. I asked him why they omitted the centre stand. He told it was to mainly to have a minimalist look and reduce weight.

Moving on from the Chasis, the two main components of the vehicle-The Motor and the Battery pack were exhibited separately. The motor is a 3.3KW BLDC motor with 5.4KW peak power producing a torque of 20.5Nm. And it is quite compact too.


All focus on the Motor


Important figures

Then the battery pack which was built form scratch was displayed in an innovative way inside a clear acrylic tub of water. It is IP67 rated for water and dust resistance.


IP68 water and dust rating for the battery pack

I then put my phone inside the tub for a picture. Tarun initially thought I was taking a close up photo but then when I actually started immersing it, he shockingly started telling me "water, water, don't, don't" I calmly told "Don't worry it is IP68"

IP67 Battery pack and an IP68 phone

I was then showed the Ather grid area where they have displayed the map with the location of the charging stations. At present it is 17 or so and soon it'll increase.


Ather grid map

Besides this, there was a small riding gear section where there were some riding gear exhibited probably for sale. Also, details of Ather one plan were displayed here.


Gear counter


Ather One plan

Just in front of this were some desks for completing paperwork and the tables also served as a small cafeteria. We were served nice cappuccinos while Tarun took leave of us here.


Coffee desk

After this, there was a large TV screen and one of the other executives showed me the details of data that they collect what all are mapped via the SIM in the scooter which is always connected. It can be disconnected by their app which will be available with the scooter. This was instant and we could see our data along with the many others who had taken the test ride today.


Test ride route, acceleration, most effecient section


Even the lean angle and lateral forces are measured and plotted

I was told however that this graphical recorded data will not be available to the owner/rider but will be used to tweak driver specific parameters to their individual scooters.

After thanking the executive, I started to leave the showroom but then saw this wall where they have beautifully displayed the development story of the Scooter.


The story thus far...

Like their scooter, the experience centre also is minimalist, well laid out and beautiful. With this, I left home satisfied, impressed and looking forward to having this scooter soon in my garage.

To summarise,
What I liked:

• Beautiful minimalist looks
• Well designed and well built scooter
• Fast and Steathy
• Reverse gear
• Big tyres and dual disc brakes
• Good range for city use
• Ather grid to kill the out-of-charge anxiety

What is missed/unkown:

• Flipkey
• Centre stand
• Side foot step
• Real world maintenance cost unknown
• Reliability unknown

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

The chasis of the S450 seems to be designed ground up as an electric scooter - as compared to Chinese rebranded scooters like Okinawa.

Ather -

(Pic Courtesy Hemanth's post above)

Okinawa -

Ather has used aluminium for even the rear subframe, probably to keep the weight as low as they could and to keep the center of gravity low.

[blackwasp]

Wow, thanks for sharing dreamseller and hemanth.anand. Product apart, what impresses me the most is how they have started operations. First create a grid for charging EVs and then launch the product in one city. This is the new cool!

What is the model that the company is going to follow for future dealerships? I for one hope that they just open company owned showrooms rather than the usual franchise model. I am happy to see Indian guys developing such a good product right from scratch. Good to see positive responses for the scooters.

Wishing them all the success.

[hrman]

Just some rough calculations to add to the overall csot of ownership. Their monthly subscription is Rs.700+GST.
For one year it comes to Rs.9900, for 4 years comes to Rs.40000 (in 5 year of ownership, the first year is free). This is an additional cost, which should be considered in overall cost of ownership.
I think they are looking at the SAAS model and building continuous revenue through this stream.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by hrman

Just some rough calculations to add to the overall csot of ownership. Their monthly subscription is Rs.700+GST.
For one year it comes to Rs.9900, for 4 years comes to Rs.40000 (in 5 year of ownership, the first year is free). This is an additional cost, which should be considered in overall cost of ownership.
I think they are looking at the SAAS model and building continuous revenue through this stream.

No one is forcing you to pay 700 a month after the 1st year. You can charge them at your home at a cost nearly 10 times lower then petrol and if you have solar panels charging is free.

[2000rpm]

Really wish well for this Startup. Hope the Indian electric revolution is driven by an Indian homegrown brand.

[skoda0505]

I was interested in seeing how the parking assist and the reverse gear works for a two wheeler. If possible can you please post a video (or a link if it's already available online) of the same ?

[hrman]

Originally Posted by aim120

No one is forcing you to pay 700 a month after the 1st year. You can charge them at your home at a cost nearly 10 times lower then petrol and if you have solar panels charging is free.

The Ather one plan also includes Navigation, OTA updates, road side assistance and service and maintenance costs. I dont think owners would like to not have navigation or remote monitoring of the vehicle. Remote monitoring maybe but definitely not navigation, as it would deprive the pleasure of driving this scooter.

[aim120]

AFAIK you get OTA updates irrespective of ather one. Data prices for the sim is also free for ather one plan.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

I then put my phone inside the tub for a picture. Tarun initially thought I was taking a close up photo but then when I actually started immersing it, he shockingly started telling me "water, water, don't, don't" I calmly told "Don't worry it is IP68"

And Tarun obviously remembers this moment -

[highway_star]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

My wife sat on it and my daughter joined her. She had enough room to stand there. seeing the kid, the executive warned my wife to be careful about the the sudden acceleration and sharp brakes so that the kid doesn't get hit (to the handle area). He put on the navigation. it was a breeze and off they went without making any noise!

Attachment 1770166

In my opinion, kids should also wear a helmet while riding. At least a bicycle helmet if not something better.

[Chillout]

Wow, excellent review and I am one of those guys eagerly looking forward for the launch in Chennai. Best part about this company is the commitment and communication to keep potential buyers informed about the delays, testing process and quality standards. It shows the willingness to excel and bring about a change for good.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

And Tarun obviously remembers this moment -

Attachment 1770569

Thanks CrAzY dRiVeR. He did take my consent and told me he'll tweet it. But I am not on twitter.

Originally Posted by highway_star

In my opinion, kids should also wear a helmet while riding. At least a bicycle helmet if not something better.

same is my opinion too. We do have a Studds full face helmet for her. Yesterday we took the adult helmet but had forgotten to take the small one