~ BIA Ventures and Ather Energy open a new experience center at JP Nagar in Bengaluru
~ The 2nd experience centre will cater to South Bengaluru Ather owners & consumers
Bengaluru, NFAPost: To meet the strong consumer demand in Bengaluru, India’s first intelligent electric scooter manufacturer Ather Energy inaugurated its second experience centre – Ather Space, in JP Nagar.
This is the first market where Ather is introducing multiple experience centres, partnering with Karnataka’s leading auto retailer, BIA Ventures. The Ather 450X, India’s quickest and smartest scooter, alongside the Ather 450 Plus will be available to test ride and purchase at Ather Space.
Ather Energy has seen a surge in demand, nearly 30X, since January 2021, with the second Experience centre opening its doors, customers from South Bengaluru can now purchase and test-ride the Ather 450X from a convenient location in JP Nagar.
The new Ather Space is designed to educate customers about electric vehicles while providing a holistic experience in an interactive space. Ather Space is well equipped to provide a unique ownership experience along with complete service and support for the owners.
Ather Energy is one of the few OEMs that also invests in building charging infrastructure in the markets before launch. The company already has 33 fast charging locations, Ather Grid across the city in places like Whitefiled, Indiranagar, Jayanagar, J P Nagar, etc.
The company intends to reach 50 locations by the end of this year to strengthen the charging network to provide smooth and stress-free rides for EV owners in the city. There are a total of 142 charging points set up across 22 cities by Ather Energy, making easy and fast charging a reality for EV owners in India. Ather Energy also helps consumers in setting up their home chargers and has installed home chargers across 993 apartment complexes in the city over the last 3 years.
In the past few weeks, FAME 2 revisions have further reduced the prices of all-electric two- wheelers, with a 50% increase in the subsidy. Also, the Karnataka Government has waived off the registration fee and road tax for electric two-wheelers.
The new ex-showroom price of the Ather 450X is INR.144,500 & INR 125,490 for the Ather 450 Plus in Bengaluru. Considering the total cost of ownership of a comparable 125cc scooter, Ather 450X and Ather 450 Plus owners can now breakeven their investment in 18-24 months and will begin to save nearly Rs. 2 per km in the years after.
Expressing happiness over opening of the second showroom, Ather Energy Chief Business Officer Ravneet Phokela said the response the company is getting from Bangalore is phenomenal, there has been an exponential rise in the number of test ride requests that Ather is receiving.
“We are opening our second experience centre in Bangalore to meet the consumer demand which has increased by multiple folds. Also, with the new revision in FAME II policy the EV adoption rate will increase and we expect to open more experience centres in Bangalore and across other cities. BIA Ventures have been a great partner and support to open up the second Experience Centre. Their expertise in the auto sector is commendable and it was their enthusiasm that helped us open the showroom in no time,” said Ravneet Phokela.
BIA Ventures – a subsidiary of Cauvery group, is running the new Ather Energy outlet. BIA Ventures Managing Director Nivedita said Ather Energy has redefined the two-wheeler riding experience in India by meticulously designing electric scooters that are super quick and intelligent.
“They have built an entire ecosystem around electric vehicles and are extremely focused on end-to-end customer experience. Ather Energy’s uniquely innovative products, charging infrastructure, and customer service are designed to enhance customer experience and we are confident that we will witness a strong demand in the coming months. The experience centre is a reflection of the brand and product story. We are excited to drive the EV revolution forward along with Ather Energy,” said Nivedita.
Ather 450X
The Ather 450X is the quickest and one of the smartest scooters in its category, and comes in four colours: Grey, Green, and White along with the limited-edition Series 1. The scooter is powered with a 6kW PMSM motor, a 2.9 kWh lithium-ion battery, and comes with 4 riding modes. In addition to Eco, Ride, and Sport, Ather Energy has introduced a new high-performance mode, ‘Warp’.
Ather 450X can go from 0 to 40 kmph in just 3.3 sec in Warp mode, making it the quickest scooter in the 125cc category and the perfect choice to navigate through city traffic. The Ather 450X can fast charge at 1.5km per minute, making it the quickest charging rate in the electric two-wheeler category.
Additionally, the electric scooter has a 4G SIM card and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing riders to manage phone calls and music on the touchscreen dashboard. The 7” touchscreen dashboard, comes with a colour depth of 16M and a Snapdragon Quad-Core processor. Ather 450X utilises Android Open Source to offer Google Map navigation, on-board diagnostics, and other unique features like Over-the-air updates, Auto Indicator off and Guide-me-home lights.
Ather Energy, one of India’s first intelligent electric vehicle manufacturers was founded in 2013 by IIT Madras alumni, Tarun Mehta, and Swapnil Jain. It is backed by the founders of Flipkart -Sachin Bansal & Binny Bansal- Hero Motocorp and Tiger Global. Ather Energy launched India’s first truly intelligent, electric scooter – Ather 450 in 2018, followed by their new flagship offering Ather 450X in 2020.
Ather has also installed a comprehensive public charging network, Ather Grid, designed and built in India. With 142 charging points across India, Ather Grid is one of the largest fast-charging networks for electric vehicles in the country. The company’s product line has won 37 awards in design, automotive and technology categories. With over 60 Indian and international patent applications, 109 trademarks and 118 Indian and International design registrations to its name, Ather Energy aims to provide consumers with the best possible ownership experience. [1] Ather Energy currently operates in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Jaipur, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai.
