Ather 450 Electric Scooter: First Ride Review

Gallery Introduction The Visuals The Package The Ride Conclusion

Introduction

Ather Energy sounds like a company in the power sector or something along those lines. That’s because it started as a company that was interested in developing batteries for electric vehicles. But during that process they realised that they could address the EV problem better if they develop an electric two-wheeler. A few years later, BOOM! The 450 was born, along with the 340 – its less powerful sibling.

The 450 is the company’s flagship product and is touted to be the most intelligent electric scooter ever developed and produced in the country. Ather claims that the 450 is an amalgamation of clean styling, great performance and good comfort. We took this EV for a spin in Bengaluru – the garden city, and probably the one with the worst road traffic situation.

The Visuals

The Ather 450 looks like a scooter, but the design language is new and futuristic. The company designed this scooter around the word ‘clean’ and it’s quite evident when you see it for the first time. The panels are large but sharp and sport clean lines. There’s a bit of aggression in its demeanour when you look at the 450 from the front, but the presence of a large vertical ‘V’ shaped headlamp design sobers it down. Plus, the all-LED setup makes this Ather look stunning.

Move to the rear, and the minimalistic yet striking design will catch your attention. The LED taillight, when it lights up, will remind you of a really expensive vehicle. The exposed green frame along with the wheel stripes are nice added touches to the scooter.

The Package

Before we get into the details, we have to talk about the most interesting and cool feature of the Ather 450 – the touchscreen instrument cluster. It’s a 7-inch capacitive screen which is IP65 rated. That means it is dust proof and waterproof as well. This cluster hosts a factory of ride information like odometer, tripmeters, average speed and range. Besides that, it also displays operational icons like screen brightness, and access to switch on turn indicators, parking assist and guide-me-home light. But the most interesting aspect of this cluster is the navigation which is powered by Google. Just enter the destination, and the dashboard will show turn-by-turn navigation, along with the ETA.

The Ather 450 rides on telescopic forks at the front and mono-shock at the rear. The 12-inch wheels get the MRF Zapper tyres. The scooter is equipped with disc brake at both ends – a 200mm disc with triple-piston caliper and a 190cc disc with single piston at the rear. It has a combined braking system and regenerative braking as standard.

The Ride

The compact dimensions is the first thing that you will notice about the Ather 450, and that’s not a bad thing at all. The test ride happened in Bengaluru, and that means, filtering through some really tight traffic along with the quick dash from the signal is a daily affair. And my god, negotiating this chaos is such a breeze when one is riding the Ather 450. Firstly, this EV has perfect weight distribution and that’s such a boon for urban traffic conditions. Easy turns, quick start off-the line and great brakes – these are the traits of this Ather and that makes it a friendly city companion.

In the case of its performance, well, this scooter is fast. Real fast! The 20.5Nm of peak torque is present right from the word go. The ride experience is completely dependent on the mode you choose and there are three of them. Unfortunately, the test scooter had just two – Ride and Sport. Ride mode is where everything is relaxed. The e-motor pulls enough juice from the 5.1kW lithium-ion battery (placed below the floorboard), to help you with comfortable overtakes and good performance. But things get a bit boring when there’s a wide empty road. That’s when you feel the need for more power. Luckily, this e-scooter has it covered in the sport mode. This mode is exciting, and puts a big smile on your face whenever you are in it. The speedometer clocks more than 80kmph in a matter of few seconds. In fact, it makes you feel as if you are riding a 150cc motorcycle.

The suspension has been setup a tad on the firm side. But it’s not a back breaking experience. The ride over broken and undulated roads is quite decent, but at sharp bumps, things get a bit uncomfortable. The 450 gets disc brakes at both ends – a first for any scooter in India. This setup is sharp, works efficiently, and there’s decent amount of bite as well. The rear brake, however, tend to lockup quite easily, even with the combined braking system (CBS).

Conclusion

The Ather 450 is an expensive scooter at Rs 1.13 lakhs (on-road Mumbai), yes! But this isn’t like any of the conventional scooters that we find in the overcrowded market. This one is stylish and has design elements that can easily make it win some fashion contest (if there were any for scooters). It is loaded with features that isn’t found on any motorcycles, let alone scooters. Then there’s the performance bit that is the best highlight of the Ather 450. It is jaw dropping yet friendly and accommodating. It’s possibly one of the fastest scooters in the market. But most importantly – it doesn’t pollute nor will you need to spend a couple of thousand rupees every month on fuel. If you are from Bengaluru or Chennai, and want to own some desirable and ride-friendly scooter at the same time, the Ather 450 is worth having a look. It can be a cool addition to your garage. Rest of the cities, apka time aayega!

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi