Ather Energy is well known among the rising number of EV fans in India as the maker of one of the best electric scooters on the market. With the Ather 450, the Bangalore-based start-up proved that electric scooters can be fun to ride, feature-packed, and most importantly; desirable than a conventional ICE scooter. Now, an Ather electric motorcycle has been confirmed to be slowly taking shape.
The other day, we shared that Ather Energy is expanding its production capacity to 500,000 units a year from the current 35,000-45,000 units. While sharing this information, Chief Business Officer at Ather Energy, Ravneet Phokela added that an Ather motorcycle is indeed in the plans, but only after introducing another scooter range that sits below the Ather 450 in the brand’s single-model portfolio.
The new scooter should be ready within the next 12-18 months while the Ather electric motorcycle would take at least four years to become a reality. It seems the motorcycle is still in its planning stages or at most a concept sketch on a piece of paper.
At present, the electric-scooter market has got its foundation set with Ather, Okinawa, Hero Electric, etc. However, the electric-motorcycle market is still at the grass-root level with Revolt Motors, Tork Motors and Ultraviolette Automotive being the more popular choices. Their products have still not reached enough acceptance to become a replacement for conventional ICE motorcycles. Would they ever become so? — only time will tell.
Coming back to the Ather electric motorcycle, it is likely to be a rival of the new Revolt RV400. The new Ultraviolette F77 is a sports motorcycle, while the RV400 is essentially a commuter aimed to attract volume sales. Hence, it makes perfect sense for Ather Energy to target the RV400. However, Ather Energy’s business model focuses on individual cities rather than the whole nation. This is a smart and safe move; proved by the success of the Ather 450 in Bangalore and Chennai.
At this point, we do not have much information on the specifications or pricing of the upcoming Ather electric motorcycle. Still, one can be sure that the final product will be well-rounded in terms of performance, range and desirability even if it comes at a slightly higher premium than its ICE-counterparts.
The Revolt RV400, on the other hand, is powered by a 3.4kWh Li-Ion battery coupled to a 3kW electric motor. It has a top speed of 85km/h and a claimed range of over 150km on a single charge. The company sells a lesser RV300 model as well.
At this point, it is too early to share how and when the Ather motorcycle will take shape. However, we are sure it will be a compelling choice like the Ather 450.
