Banagalore-based startup, Ather Energy, is currently in the process of developing India's first indigenous smart electric 2-wheeler called the Ather e-Scooter S340. The futuristic looking electric scooter will be unveiled on February 23 in Bengaluru. The project began in the incubation cell of IIT-Madras.
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After 3 years of research and development, the company is finally set to unveil its maiden venture. The e-Scooter S340 features a Li-ion battery pack that takes less than an hour to charge. However its biggest USP will be the digital touchscreen dashboard that it comes integrated with as Ather has chosen to focus on connectivity in particular. The Android-based touchscreen will allow users a chance to customize the scooters profile for different ride experiences, will offer multiple riding modes, allow for theft protection, and will include in-built navigation.
Ather e-Scooter S340 Rear
The Ather e-Scooter S340 will be the first smart electric scooter to be designed and built completely in India and its rising popularity is in line with the Make-In-India scheme initiated by Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Unlike standard electric scooters that can be ridden at speeds of 25-40km/h , the S340 electric scooter can reportedly attain a top speed of 75km/h and will be able to accelerate from 0-60km/h in 11 seconds. The company claims that it will be at-par with other petrol rivals currently sold in the India. The battery pack is expected to come with a range of 50-100kms and charging ability has been capped at 90 per cent as the company claims that the extra 2-3kms achieved with the extra 10 per cent may result in battery damage. Ather has stated that it intends on pricing its electric S340 scooter below the Rs 1 lakh mark.
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Founded by Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain, Ather Energy raised $ 1 million (approximately Rs 6.3 crore) in end-2014 from Sachin and Binny Bansal, founders of Indian e-commerce conglomerate Flipkart. Recently, the company generated an additional $ 12 million (approximately Rs 75.3 crore) from leading venture capital investment firm, Tiger Global. The scooter will be officially unveiled tomorrow at Web Summit's SURGE conference in Bengaluru.
