Ather Energy Commences Operations In Chennai; Prices Start At Rs. 1.19 Lakh

Homegrown EV manufacturer Ather Energy has commenced its operations in Chennai, its second market after Bengaluru. The company held its first customer event last weekend in the city, and has also begun accepting pre-bookings for its electric scooters for a token amount of Rs. 5000. The Ather 450 is priced at Rs. 1.31 lakh, while the entry-level Ather 340 is priced at Rs. 1.11 lakh (all prices, on-road Chennai), and will be officially launched tomorrow. The prices are about Rs. 5000-6000 more expensive than Bangalore. It is to be noted that the on-road price is in-line with the current GST rate of 12 per cent on EVs, and is likely to see a reduction once the GST council approves the five per cent rate as recommended under the Union Budget 2019.

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Ather Energy has promised a delivery timeline of September 2019, for the first batch of bookings, while the second batch will receive their electric scooters between November and December this year. The company has also confirmed that the first batch is already booked, while bookings are open for the second batch at present. Deliveries for the third batch will begin from February 2020 in Chennai. Apart from the purchase option, the Ather scooters can be leased too with rentals starting at Rs. 2517 per month. In additon, the first customers also get one year of Ather One subscription for free.

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Ather Energy has already been working on setting up its charging infrastructure in Chennai and currently has 10 charging points across the city. The company is expected to add a few more going forward. The Ather 450 is the two-wheeler maker's flagship offering and promises a range of 55-75 km on a single charge from a 2.4 kWh lithium-ion battery. The scooter uses a BLDC motor that produces a healthy 20.5 Nm of peak torque and peak power output of 5.4 kW (7.2 bhp). The scooter can sprint from 0-40 kmph in 3.9 seconds.  

Also Read: Ather 450 Road Test Review

The Ather 450 and 340 electric scooters are produced at the company's facility in Bengaluru with a yearly capacity of 30,000 units. Ather is working on expanding its production capacity as it will grow presence in other cities including Mumbai, Delhi and Pune next year.