Bengaluru based startup Ather Energy is set to roll out in first electric scooter S340 in India in the coming months, as per media reports.
The bookings for the Ather S340 in the country in the month of June. In the initial phase, the scooter will be sold in Bengaluru and its availability in other parts of the country will be announced by the end of this year.
It also plans to launch its first ‘Experience Center’ at Indiranagar in the state capital for enabling probable buyers to take test rides.
First unveiled in the year 2016, the Ather S340 electric scooter was supposed to be out in the market last year. Country’s top two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp has also invested close to Rs 205 crore in Tiger Global backed company. This is when the startup gathered attention.
What are the special features of the scooter?
The Ather S340 will come with multiple interesting features that include a coloured waterproof touchscreen, parking assist, navigation assist, location tracker and a lot more.
The upcoming Ather S340 can go up to a speed of 72 kmph and can cover a range of 60 km per single full charge. The company says that the battery can be charged up to 80 percent in just 50 minutes of charging.
The total life cycle of the battery is close to 50,000 km. The scooter has also been assisted with LED lighting system that adjusts itself automatically as per the available light.
The company is currently busy setting up the charging infrastructure network in Bengaluru.
The price of the Ather S340 is not clear at the moment and so is the booking amount.
With the growing competitiveness in the electric scooter segment, one can expect the Ather S340 to come at a decent price point. The said model will be launched at pricing close to that of its closest rival – Twenty Two Motors Flow that is currently on sale in India at Rs 74,740.
The growing demand for electric vehicles
In April, homegrown cab-hailing major Ola has announced Mission Electric, a programme to launch 10,000 electric vehicles, most of them three-wheelers, over the next 12 months.
The move comes one month after the Bengaluru-based firm roped in Anand Shah, the former executive at German premium carmaker BMW, to head its electric vehicles programme.
Mission Electric stems from India’s first electric-vehicle pilot project in Nagpur launched less than a year ago.
Mahindra Electric has also joined hands with self-drive rental platform Zoomcar, as part of which the auto major will offer it’s 100 electric vehicles ‘e20 plus’ on the latter’s platform in Delhi.
Mahindra Electric, the electric mobility portfolio of Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), said the tie-up is aimed at promoting shared and cleaner mobility.
The vehicles under the deal are financed as part of an agreement between Zoomcar and LeasePlan which will see Zoomcar obtain customised EV financing.
Cab-hailing companies like that of Uber have decided to buy electric bicycle service JUMP Bikes.
Also Read: Ola And Uber Will Never Make Money: Zoomcar CEO
