2022 Ather 450X Gen 3 is identical to the Gen 2 in terms of looks as changes are limited to functionalities
Ather Energy has delivered consistent performance and experience. 450X is the flagship electric scooter of this Bangalore based startup. Unlike other EV startups that have had a lot of failures, breakdowns, niggles and even fire hazards, Ather has little to none.
Ather knows this too as they took a dig at other EV makers in a recent TVC. While the rest of the electric scooter market is chasing range or features, Ather is also proactively updating their electric scooter. In this regard, Ather 450X has been updated to Gen 3 and it will take Ather Energy’s ethos forward. We compare the two to understand all the updates 450X Gen 3 got over the preceding model.
2022 Ather Electric Scooter Vs Old 450X – Powertrain
When parked side by side, there is not a single thing that Ather has changed to create 450X Gen 3. Except for wider and better RVMs though. But that’s it. There’s not a single mark or a sticker or anything to differentiate between the two. So where are the differences then, well, they are under the skin.
For starters, the most obvious change is a new larger battery. 2022 Ather 450X Gen 3 features a larger 3.7 kWh Li-ion battery over the 2.9 kWh battery pack on Gen 2. Due to an increase in cells, it is engulfed in a larger aluminium casing which is 20 mm longer and gets new mounting points on its chassis. This has resulted in roughly 4kg weight addition too.
With a bigger battery, range has increased. Claimed range or the ideal range in ideal conditions used to be 116 km on Gen 2 which is now increased by 30 km to 146 km. True range was 85 km and is now 105 km, a 20 km rise with Gen 3. Now, Gen 3 offers a 105 km true range in Eco Mode, 85 km in Ride mode and Warp Mode offers 65 km.
Motor is retained as the Gen 2. With a bigger battery, load from the motor is now spread out between more cells and hence less heat is generated. Also factoring in the fact that longer range means less frequent charging, we can see better battery health too. But charging time is now increased by 55 minutes due to the larger battery.
Feature Upgrades & Pricing
For starters, rear tyre wrapped around the 12” alloy wheel, is now 100 section over 90 section unit on Gen 2. Front 90/90 tyre size is retained. Ather didn’t just slap an off-the-shelf MRF tyre and call it a day. They co-developed new tyres with MRF for the Gen 3, vastly improving the handling. Ather claims that the new tyres offer 22% better grip. This helps deliver better acceleration, better control on the road as well as reduces braking distance considerably. Take a look at the detailed walkaround video of the new Ather Gen 3 electric scooter below, by Anubhav Chauhan.
Other upgrades include a faster processor for the touchscreen dashboard along with double the RAM and storage at 2 GB and 16 GB respectively. Along with making the UI noticeably faster, larger storage allows Ather to offer voice commands and offline maps via an OTA update like found on Ola S1 Pro Move OS 2.
2022 Ather 450X Gen 3 prices vary from city to city. It is priced at Rs. 1.39 lakh (ex-sh) in Delhi, a Rs. 1,000 increment and Rs. 1.55 lakh (ex-sh) in Bengaluru, a Rs. 5,000 increment. 450X Gen 3 mainly competes with Ola S1 Pro, TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak and upcoming Simple Energy One which is expected to be the next market disruptor after S1 Pro.
