Ather expects to double market share with the launch of 450S electric scooter

Ather’s 125cc 450S scooter is the affordable variant of 450X.

Electric two-wheeler maker Ather is looking to double its market share to about 30-40 percent over the next few years with the launch of its affordable 450S scooter in the 125cc category.

“In 150 cc space, Ather is present in the entire market. Six or seven out of 10 scooters sold in the 150cc space is an Ather 450X and we have a dominating market share over there. With the 125cc launch, we will double our market share in the overall EV space to about 30-40 percent,” Ather co-founder and chief executive Tarun Mehta told Moneycontrol on August 11 on the sidelines of the scooter launch event.

“In the 125 cc space separately as well, we are planning to make a significant market share of about 30-35 percent. This product also allows us a more accessible price point.”

Ather will launch the scooter, which is the affordable variant of 450X, in a phased manner. The 450S will be made available across dealerships by the third or the last week of August.

“We have been adding 10-12 dealerships every month and we have a strong presence across 150-200 cities and we are looking to add 100 more this year,” Mehta said.

The 450S’ starting price is Rs 1,29,999. Ather’s 450X ranges between Rs 1,50,000 and Rs 1,70,000.

The 450S comes with a battery capacity of 2.9 kWh, an IDC (Indian Driving Conditions) range of 115km, a 0–40 acceleration of 3.9 sec, and a top speed of 90 km/h, the company has said.

It comes with a host of changes from 450X such as the DeepView Display, a new switchgear, FallSafe, Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), and coasting regen, which improves range by up to 7 percent, the firm said in a statement to media.

The so-called FallSafe feature can detect changes in the speed, orientation, and acceleration when the rider is about to fall over. It switches off the motor and activates flashing indicator lights to notify those around to step forward to rescue the rider, the company said.

“We are expanding the portfolio and adding a new affordable variant of 450X which is 450S, the S variant will compete with 125cc bikes that are out there in the market. This is the largest segment out there,” Mehta said.

Ather has also introduced a feature in its mobile app that helps riders locate charging facilities.

"Ather mobile app will calculate the entire route for the travel and plan the route accordingly to help you make a stop and charge on the way. This is a first-of-a-kind feature, we always had it but now we are adding a multi-city trip planner feature," Mehta added.

Ather is seeing a rise in demand across cities as well as Tier 3 and 4 towns, he said.

To meet the growing demand, the electric two-wheeler manufacturer plans to expand the capacity to nearly 15 lakh units from 4.2 lakh units through its facilities in Hosur in Tamil Nadu. The company was looking to raise funds by next year for the expansion, Mehta said.