Ather Energy has launched their first product, the 340 in India. The electric scooter faces direct competition from the Okinawa Praise in the country. We find out how the Ather 340 stacks up against its biggest rival-
Design
Electric scooters essentially sport a futuristic design language to distinguish themselves from petrol-powered scooters. The Ather 340 takes a sharp yet minimal approach to its design, while the white body paint and green accents lends a modern appeal. The front apron houses a large LED headlamp while the turn signals are positioned into the steering unit. It also gets an LED tail lamp and turn signals integrated into the rear section.
The Okinawa Praise derives its styling from maxi-scooters and sports an aggressively styled LED headlamp unit flanked by LED DRLs with turn indicators integrated on the steering unit. It also gets a pillion backrest as option. Okinawa offers the scooters in flashy colour schemes like- golden, blue and purple.
Features
The Ather 340 offers an exhaustive list of features. It gets a 7-inch touchscreen unit that displays a host of information along with on-board navigation, vehicle diagnostics, over-the-air updates, charging station location tracker, parking assist function and reverse mode. The Ather smartphone app provides battery charge status and tips for improving the scooter’s overall performance. The 340 uses telescopic forks for the front and a monoshock at the rear. Braking power comes from a single disc up front and a disc at the rear along with a CBS (Combined braking system).
The Okinawa Praise gets relatively lesser features. It gets a side-stand indicator, anti-theft sensor, keyless entry and find-my scooter. The Praise rides on telescopic forks at the front and dual shock absorbers at the rear. Stopping power comes from dual disc brakes at the front and a disc brake at the rear with Electronic-Assisted Braking System (E-ABS). The Praise gets an LCD screen too, although with a much simpler layout than the Ather 340.
Engine
The Ather S340 uses a brushless DC motor that’s rated for 6.7bhp and 20Nm of torque and gives the scooter a top speed of 72kmph. This motor is powered by a 2.2kWh lithium ion battery that provides a range of 60kms in a single full charge. On the other hand Okinawa claims a range higher range of 170-200kms on a single charge. The Praise achieves a full charge in one hour while the Ather 340 can be charged up to 80 per cent in the same time.
The Okinawa Praise is powered by a 72V/45Ah lithium ion battery with a claimed range of 170-200km in a full charge. The scooter gets three modes- Economy, Sport and Turbo. Economy mode limits speed to 35kmph, the scooter is capable of 65kmph on Sport mode while Turbo gives a top speed of 75kmph. This makes the Okinawa Praise slightly faster than the Ather 340.
Pricing
The Okinawa Praise is priced at an affordable Rs 66,232 (on-road). On the other hand, the Ather 340 comes with a much higher price tag of Rs 1.09 lakhs (on-road).
