Foreseeing higher demand for personal electric mobility solutions, Indian electric vehicle maker Ather has introduced a new electric scooter (e-scooter), called the 450S. Just a few years back, in 2020, Ather launched the 450X – India’s first premium electric scooter. While that e-scooter boasted a number of premium features and tech specs in addition to a robust, reliable platform for daily commuting, it was obviously not the most affordable model available in the Indian market. The company managed to create a small market for itself despite the fact that Indian consumer is highly price sensitive.

Increasing competition from the likes of Ola Electric, which introduced e-scooters like the S1 and S1 Air, forced Ather to develop and launch more affordable models like the 450S. The new e-scooter is more affordable but it has successfully retained some of the premium tech features which commuters loved a lot in the Ather 450X.

When it comes to performance, the newly-introduced Ather 450S e-scooter promises a riding range of 115 kilometres (approx. 72 miles) on a single charge. It is worth-noting here that the new model range is shorter than that of the 450X, which is capable of delivering range of 146 kilometres (approx. 91 miles) between two charges. The shorter range of the new e-scooter is attributed to a smaller battery pack that has a capacity of 3 kilowatt-hours (kWh) as compared with the 450X e-scooter’s 3.75 kWh. Nevertheless, the new e-scooter is said to have the same top speed of 90 km per hour (roughly 56 miles per hour) as that of the more premium 450X.

As for the styling of the new model, the manufacturer has yet to reveal the e-scooter in all its glory. The company, however, released a teaser showing its gauge cluster. Most probably, it will be similar to its more expensive sibling, although with certain eccentricities to differentiate it.

Electric two-wheelers, particularly e-scooters, are becoming more and more popular in Asian countries like India, thanks to their affordable prices in particular and government policies in general. An increasing number of commuters switching from conventional petrol-guzzling two-wheelers to electric two-wheelers in order to reap the benefits of zero emissions, government subsidies, and almost maintenance-free operation.

The Ather 450S e-scooter is available with a starting price tag of Rs. 130,000 (the equivalent of around US$1,577). Order books for the new model are expected to be opened sometime in July this year, but delivery timelines have yet to be confirmed by the company.