Bengaluru-based Ather Energy has introduced the seventh Over-The-Air (OTA) update on the Ather 450 electric scooter. The latest software update 4.2.0 will be available for all existing Ather 450 customers and brings the Dark theme to the electric offering's dashboard for an improved night riding experience. The update also brings a more responsive keyboard that responds to the finger touch without any lag, while the scooter now saves your previously selected riding mode and will start in that mode allowing the rider to resume where they left.
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The Dark Theme offers a more distraction-free riding experience and can be set automatically to be switched on between 6 pm and 6 am
Speaking about the update, Swapnil Jain, Co-founder and CTO, Ather Energy said, "We are happy to take yet another step to enhance the Ather 450's rider experience. We designed the Ather products to improve with time rather than lose value once purchased and the owners have played a big role in prioritizing features and updates so we can continuously make improvements. The growing Ather community challenges us time and again and I am glad that we are able to continuously enhance their ownership experience. We are excited about bringing this new generation of scooters to more people in the country."
The new Dark Theme is a welcome addition and we had seen a glimpse of it on the Ather 450X test ride earlier this year. The new feature allows users to manually select between light and dark themes in the settings menu, or opt for the auto feature that switches to the dark theme between 6 pm and 6 am. The Dark Theme essentially turns the background all black that allows for a distraction-free riding experience, which is easy on the eye as well.
Ather has also introduced a more responsive keyboard and the ability to save the previously used riding mode
Ather Energy says the dark theme was the constant feedback shared by users by the Ather Community that has been incorporated in the 450 e-scooters. The OTA updates allow customers as early as those with the 2018 model to get better features, performance and even improved battery life, thanks to software upgrades made by the company and rolled out via a cloud-based system.
Also Read: Ather 450X First Ride Review
In the previous six OTA updates, the Ather 450 was updated with several improvements including guide-me-home lights, two trip meters, real-time battery efficiency indicator, and more frequent data synchronisation between the user smartphone and the vehicle. The company also added the new Eco mode in September last year to improve range while motor-cooling was optimised by a firmware update.
The Ather 450 gets no performance or battery updates with OTA 7
The Ather 450 is the company's entry-level offering priced at Rs. 1.13 lakh (on-road, Bengaluru). The electric scooter is on sale in two cities for now - Bengaluru and Chennai - promising a range of 75 kmph on a single charge and a top speed of 80 kmph. Meanwhile, deliveries for the Ather 450X are scheduled to begin later this year. The scooter is offering in two versions - 450X and Plus. The 450X is priced at Rs. 1.49 lakh and Rs. 1.59 lakh respectively (all prices, ex-showroom Bengaluru).
