Ather Energy has been one of the better-known brands when it comes to electric two-wheelers in India. It currently offers two products in its portfolio: 450 Plus and 450X. Both the e-scooters use a conventional/fixed battery system even in the time when manufacturers have rolled out the swappable battery packs.
We recently had a chance to speak to Ather CEO, Tarun Mehta, and discuss why Ather has stuck its guns to a fixed battery system. Here’s what we learned.
Convenience
Swappable batteries are usually a tad too heavy and weigh in the vicinity of 10-15kg. Now, young customers will or possibly not mind carrying a battery from the parking space to their homes, but the same can’t be promised for the elder lot among us.
While the battery can be resized by splitting into two units to reduce the weight, it’ll affect the range (a smaller battery means fewer cells). And if both the batteries are to be charged simultaneously (considering the scooter/bike can fit two swappable/removable batteries), then you’ll need two chargers as well.
Psychological stress
Apart from the inconvenience of dragging the battery around, Ather also considered the psychological stress for the buyers. This includes the battery life consistency, overall quality of the swapped battery and the lifetime swapping charges. Let’s break it down further.
Buyers with their newly bought electric scooter/bike could end up swapping their new battery pack with an old one that’s available at the swap station. Moreover, there’s no account of the swapped pack’s history and whether it has been handled/used well or been charged properly by the previous user. Moreover, these swappable packs constantly change hands, which may not be the best for their longevity.
Moreover, after a certain period, you’d end up paying so much in swap charges that the amount could possibly get you a new battery.
Technical front
Given the batteries will constantly do rounds with different users and could be mis-handled, the pack could also be physically damaged. This could include anything from chipping off of the connection ports to damage to the mounting points and even the overall casing.
Moreover, change is inevitable, especially in tech and automotive. So, once the updated models are launched and if they get different mounting points for better optimisation of the battery, the previous iteration pack won’t be of any use to the new model. So, the whole purpose of offering convenience goes for a toss.
