Ather Energy launched the Rizta electric scooter at the Ather Community Day and this is their first attempt at a family-oriented electric scooter. As electric scooters gained popularity and people began adopting them as a means of daily commutes and urban runabouts, Ather needed to have a scooter in this space. The Rizta fills that void for the company and here are the top five highlights of the brand new electric scooter.
Design
For a company that makes the futuristic-looking 450S and 450X, the Rizta’s design is rather conservative. The shape of the body panels, the minimal creases and the subtle colours are all indicative of the fact that the Rizta is aimed at the family-scooter buyer. One that doesn’t like over the top designs.
That said, the Rizta looks good in its own way. Details like the LED headlight bar with the integrated DRLs and indicators, the layered effect on the blacked out handlebar cowl or the simple but neatly executed tail section. They all come together to lend the Rizta a unique identity.
There’s good attention to detail as well. Take the flush sitting side stand, the dual tone seat or the little crevice to slide your fingers into to lift the seat and access the boot.
Features
Ather has loaded the Rizta with a host of features in keeping with today’s times. The base version of the Rizta is called ‘S’ and it gets the Ather ‘Deepview’ LCD display like the one you see in the Ather 450S. It features Bluetooth connectivity, music controls, navigation and more.
There are two ride modes - Smart Eco and Zip and are self-explanatory.
In terms of safety, the Rizta gets a traction control system. It basically uses a wheel speed sensor that detects rear wheel slip, say while accelerating on loose, gravelly surfaces or rain soaked roads. The moment the system detects excessive rear wheelspin in relation to the front wheel, it modulates the power going to the rear wheel and helps the rider stay in control.
Other features on the Rizta S include underseat mobile charging, back rest, auto hold and reverse mode.
The Rizta Z is the top-spec scooter and gets more features over and above the ones on the Rizta S. It has a seven-inch colour TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity and inbuilt Google Maps navigation. It also shows live traffic data and allows auto reply to calls and WhatsApp preview.
In addition to this, it also has the Magic Twist feature which allows you to slow down the scooter without using the brakes using regenerative braking.
Motor and battery
The Ather Rizta is based on the 450-series platform and hence shares the same motor and battery. It has a PMSM electric motor that develops 22Nm of peak torque. The motor is mounted to the frame, similar to what we see on the 450-series electric scooters.
The Rizta S and Rizta Z available with a 2.9kWh battery and offers an IDC range of 123km. The Rizta Z is also available with a larger, 3.7kWh battery and it delivers an IDC range of 160km.
As for the charging times, the 2.9kWh models get a 350W charger that can fully charge the battery in eight hours and 30 minutes. On the other hand, the 3.7kWh version gets a 700kW charger that takes 6 hours and 10 minutes to top up the battery from zero percent.
Hardware
The Ather Rizta is based on the company’s 450-series’ platform and uses the same main frame. The subframe, however, is all-new and bigger to accommodate the 900mm long seat. The frame is suspended by a telescopic fork at the front and a monoshock at the rear. The scooter rides on 12-inch wheels that are shod with MRF rubber. As far as braking is concerned, you’ve got a disc brake at the front and a drum brake at the rear.
Price and competition
The Ather Rizta S is priced at Rs 1.10 lakh, while the Rizta Z with the 2.9kWh battery pack equipped Rizta Z will set you back by Rs 1.25 lakh. The Rizta Z with the 3.7kWh battery pack costs Rs 1.45 lakh. These are introductory, ex-showroom prices.
The Rizta goes up against the TVS iQube and its prices range between Rs 1.46 lakh to Rs 1.56 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi.
