Chennai, NFAPost: Electric vehicle manufacturer Ather Energy plans to expand to over 15 cities by the end of this financial year and targets 35-40 cities in 18 months.
On Tuesday, Ather Energy introduced a first-of-its-kind program in the EV category in India, an ‘Assured Buyback’ program for the Ather 450X. Ather Energy is guaranteeing a buyback for the Ather 450X at Rs 85,000, at the end of 3 years.
Speaking about the EV manufacturer’s expansion plan, Chief Business Officer Ravneet Singh Phokela said the company will have its presence in nearly 40 cities within 18 months.
Ather Energy has built its own li-ion battery packs and an overall robust platform in the Ather 450 product line. The reliability of the product line has been tested since 2018 in Bengaluru and later in Chennai, and on seeing the high consistency in performance, Ather Energy has launched a unique buyback plan. The high reliability of the product will ensure that the scooters will command a strong value in the resale market, as witnessed by existing owners of Ather 450.
The buyback program is another move from Ather Energy, in its endeavour to accelerate EV adoption in the country. With initiatives like Ather Grid, EV focused experience centres and a highly engaged owner Forum, Ather Energy has gone much beyond building just scooters.
Ather Energy has also improved some of the purchase enabling solutions for the launch of Ather 450X. Post the success of the lease model in Bengaluru and Chennai, Ather Energy will be extending the same for the Ather 450X across all cities. The model allows the customers to access a fully loaded Ather 450X at a lower price point and a nominal monthly fee.
“We will begin the deliveries of the Ather 450X post-Diwali,” said Ravneet.
To reduce the overall cost of ownership of the Ather 450X, Bengaluru consumers can exchange their old petrol ICE 2-wheeler and others can opt for low interest rate loans from multiple partners that Ather Energy has tie-ups with. Ather Energy has also reduced the ex-showroom price of the Ather 450 Plus model, which can now be purchased at Rs 139,990.
Ather Energy Co-founder and CEO Tarun Mehta said, “Charging at public charging points, Ather Grid, will be free until March 2021, and after that one can pay Quarterly or Annually. Exports are definitely on the cards but it will take at least two years.”
Ather’s subscription plans have also been revised and made more flexible in order to match the usage of the consumer. The plans now offer 4 independent packs that the customer can choose from based on their usage, now starting at Rs 125 per month. These include Ather Connect Lite (for all basic connected features), Ather Connect Pro, Ather Service Lite (periodic maintenance, RSA & labour) and Ather Service Pro (premium service experience).
Mehta added, “Our faith in our product line has allowed us to create innovative solutions to make the switch to electric, easier – whether it is purchase or ownership. We believe Ather Energy’s electric scooters are going to have a fantastic value for years and will keep improving with new features which we will roll out as over the air upgrades.”
