Announcement

**psr** · 12-05-2014, 10:08 AM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather.

My appreciation for RDSO and Indian Railways is due to their continuous search for better efficient Loco design, at lesser Pollution and greater Mean time between Maintenance stop.....they had converted to Electronic MPFi in 4 stroke diesels, inducted a 2 stroke diesel with much less Pollution, improved power out put of both engines, and now we have the First DEMU s running on Diesel & Natural gas....and to think that the 4 stroke Diesel Engine is from WW2 ,tank and marine application,speaks volumes for the RDSO's Pioneering Engineering achievement.
At the same time I am pained to note that the Gasoline Direct Injection Technology, which converted a 2 stroke petrol engine to an Efficient and least polluting engine, with more power, did not see much support from the Govt., since the experimental 2 stroke Auto rickshaws of Bajaj which were having this Tech., were not supported and Bajaj had to stop manufacturing them. We had accepted a 2 stroke Diesel Loco ,but turned our backs to a 2 stroke Gasoline Engine....

**Samarth 619** · 12-07-2014, 08:46 PM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather.

Guys,

The Ather S340 now has a webpage dedicated to it:

Ather

They have some blog posts also, which are linked on the page. Its an interesting read, and provides an insight into how they develop the concept of what they call, "immortal battery", by extracting more efficiency using Li-Ion batteries itself.
Kindly have a look:-- Ather Energy | Smart Electric Vehicles

Sadly, I just checked the battery life is now being claimed at 50,000 kms, and not 1 Lacs as earlier reported by some news sites...

**dustom_99** · 12-08-2014, 11:25 AM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather.

Originally posted by Samarth 619 View Post

Guys,

The Ather S340 now has a webpage dedicated to it:

Ather

They have some blog posts also, which are linked on the page. Its an interesting read, and provides an insight into how they develop the concept of what they call, "immortal battery", by extracting more efficiency using Li-Ion batteries itself.
Kindly have a look:-- Ather Energy | Smart Electric Vehicles

Sadly, I just checked the battery life is now being claimed at 50,000 kms, and not 1 Lacs as earlier reported by some news sites...

I could'nt find any thing new or some massive innovation in this scooty.
Yes Li-ion batt last longer and are lighter. but at the same time they get easily screwed up due to repeated fast charging and are costly.
I am quite sure , life of batteries in KM being claimed will be achieved (if at all achieved) by slow deep charge , and rate of charging in hours is being mentioned is Fast charge.

**NewsReaper** · 12-16-2014, 07:39 PM

E-Scooter with an android dashboard :xBhp News

Ather Energy has developed a first-of-its-kind electric scooter with an Android tablet dashboard. The tablet can help the rider with navigation and offer information on power, battery drain, system temperature and how long the scooter can go before the next charge-up. It can help track theft as well.

Ather Energy, a Chennai-based startup that makes electric scooters has built this right from the chassis to the motor to the battery packs. It's about the size of any 100cc scooter in the market. The lithium-ion battery packs rest on the floorboard of the vehicle, sending minimal weight to the tyres. It has a storage space that can accommodate two full face helmets.

Tarun Mehta, Co-founder of Ather Energy said:

"The Scooter should be futuristic as Hero will slam us in manufacturing, TVS will make us vanish with their supply-chain efficiency. So, our bet can only be in design, functionality, and bringing a smart solution to Indian scooters."

Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, The founders of Flipkart, have also led an investment of $1 million in Ather.

Sachin Said:

"For me, the biggest return on investment will be the fact that not only do I get to encourage entrepreneurship, I also get to hear new ideas and learn from them at the same time."

The team at Ather is trying out sensors to monitor bike parameters and process data on cloud. Each scooter will have its own SIM card for data communication.

The present prototype can attain 75 kmph of speed, has low charging time of 1.5 hours against other E-Scooter's 6-8 hours, and a total charge-up that consumes 2.5 units of electricity. All this is bound to improve before launch which would take another 12-15 months.

News Source:

**Samarth 619** · 12-17-2014, 01:39 AM

Re: E-Scooter with an android dashboard :xBhp News

Thread merged into existing one.

We are seeing some new terms in the latest news:

1. SIM card's presence in each vehicle,

2. Charging time of 1.5 hours for the prototype, with 2.5 units/ charge.

3. A prospective launch time of 12-15 months..

I'm noting that the figures are changing heavily, each time a media report comes by... This is not good for Ather's team. This will only increase rumors, false/ mixed expectations, etc. and this might go against them later on, should they run into unavoidable hassles/ compromises.

If their representatives are on Xbhp, I would suggest them to refrain divulging further figures until they move up from the prototype stage, and get a final version ready.

**designfreak** · 12-20-2014, 06:08 PM

Re: E-Scooter with an android dashboard :xBhp News

Hello,

I'm Shantanu, and I work with Ather Energy as a designer.

To begin with, it's great to see the interest being generated in our vehicle! While we are still at the prototyping stage, we just wanted to try and clarify a few things:

Torque:
Since our fixed gearbox ratios are quite different from the ones employed by the comparable petrol scooter CVTs, we think it does not make a lot of sense to compare engine and motor torques. Hence, we internally use the 'torque at wheel' as opposed to the torque generated by the motor itself.

The torque figure that was quoted by news websites is 110 Nm at the wheel and not at the motor. With the motor in its current specification and the final output, it is comparable to the current crop of 110cc petrol-powered scooters and not 1000cc motorcycles.

Actually, to precisely avoid this confusion, we have currently not published any torque figures on our website.

Top Speed:
The top speed of the scooter is currently limited to 75 km/h.

Digital Dashboard:
Work is in progress on this aspect of the vehicle and we are going through all possibilities including a SIM Card.

We understand that some of the news reports (especially those about the Android part and the one quoting the battery life to be 100,000 kms) would have caused some confusion. We will try and avoid any such confusion in the future!

If you have any queries or comments, feel free to write to [email protected] or [email protected]

Originally posted by Samarth 619 View Post

@dustom_99 Yes, you're right.
The same point has been echoed by @psr sir, numerous time, although it was in reference to electric locomotives vs diesel locomotives (Indian Railways), but the message is the same...
As a lecturer for Environmental Studies, I also agree with the above two.... (except that nuclear scooters in my opinion, can't actually be a reality, due to their destructability in accidents, public indiscipline, as well as space required).

Electric RIGHT NOW, does NOT mean green. Even in my post, I didn't write green. Years later, like sunilg bro says, yes, they'll surely be a good alternative when we might not have enough sources for .

Presently, Ather's nowhere close to a revolution in the "Macro" sense... I believe we can get that clear before talking further.... Let's talk further, shall we?

Now coming on the "micro" portion of the equation...

The reason why we should be excited is the 110 NM torque and the claims about it being the best scooter we rode... If its even half truth, we'll still have a hell of a ride! Its near to what most LITRE CLASS MOTORCYCLES can manage guys, that too with less than half the weight.

Just to remind the unexcited guys, Bandit makes 107 NM torque, that too only @ 3700 rpm, not all through the rev range...

Probably a motorcycle with even better specs can touch what 130 NM? We would spend lacs of rupees for this class of performance, right?

A secondary reason could be the micro level savings, because we actually save more, on fuel costs (speaking purely in personal/ micro sense).

I can see only good days for the consumer in general by this move. It improves on everything the customer thinks about.

Originally posted by Samarth 619 View Post

Thread merged into existing one.

We are seeing some new terms in the latest news:

1. SIM card's presence in each vehicle,

2. Charging time of 1.5 hours for the prototype, with 2.5 units/ charge.

3. A prospective launch time of 12-15 months..

I'm noting that the figures are changing heavily, each time a media report comes by... This is not good for Ather's team. This will only increase rumors, false/ mixed expectations, etc. and this might go against them later on, should they run into unavoidable hassles/ compromises.

If their representatives are on Xbhp, I would suggest them to refrain divulging further figures until they move up from the prototype stage, and get a final version ready.

**dustom_99** · 12-20-2014, 06:47 PM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather.

[=News The lithium-ion battery packs rest on the floorboard of the vehicle, sending minimal weight to the tyres. It has a storage space that can accommodate two full face helmets.]

Tarun Mehta, Co-founder of Ather Energy said:

Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, The founders of Flipkart, have also led an investment of $1 million in Athens

The team at Ather is trying out sensors to monitor bike parameters and process data on cloud. Each scooter will have its own SIM card for data communication.
]

Thats some news- placing battery pack on footboards will send minimum weight to tyres! Really?
Its like saying ( if i carry my head in my pocket , my feet would hurt less )

If that was the case people would weigh different on different floors of a multistory building.

**dustom_99** · 12-20-2014, 06:58 PM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather.

Designfreak -
As far as I understood till now -That's another classic case of data presentation with intention of misleading consumer. After Triumphgate.

So these guys have been quoting torque on wheel(110nm),In literally true sense. 110nm is on wheel after it got multiplied by reduction gear.
For example - motor produced 10nm and then it met a reduction gear of 1:10 , so final torque available on output is 100nm ( but ofcourse rpm got reduced by 10times during that process as well)

When other manufacturers quote torque on wheel , they do not multiply it by gear ratios.
A splendor 100cc with overall 1st gear ration of about 1:12 and torque figure on 8nm will send 92nm to wheel in Athers definition.
In Athers definition my small little sporty sends around 1100nm of torque to the wheel.
Their 110nm certainly fooled a few people here , including me for a while.

**designfreak** · 12-20-2014, 09:06 PM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather.

[MENTION=51699]dustom_99[/MENTION]: We understand that quoting torque at wheel causes confusion and hence we never talk about it. A reporter mentioned this as a spec because we were explaining the entire math to him.

You will notice that we haven't talked about it on the website or even in our press-release. In fact, I specially put it in bold to highlight it and ensure that the confusion does not build-up further.

Again, in the case of the battery pack placement, our description of a low centre of gravity has been unscientifically misquoted.

Originally posted by dustom_99 View Post

Thats some news- placing battery pack on footboards will send minimum weight to tyres! Really?
Its like saying ( if i carry my head in my pocket , my feet would hurt less )

If that was the case people would weigh different on different floors of a multistory building.

Originally posted by dustom_99 View Post

Designfreak -
As far as I understood till now -That's another classic case of data presentation with intention of misleading consumer. After Triumphgate.

So these guys have been quoting torque on wheel(110nm),In literally true sense. 110nm is on wheel after it got multiplied by reduction gear.
For example - motor produced 10nm and then it met a reduction gear of 1:10 , so final torque available on output is 100nm ( but ofcourse rpm got reduced by 10times during that process as well)

When other manufacturers quote torque on wheel , they do not multiply it by gear ratios.
A splendor 100cc with overall 1st gear ration of about 1:12 and torque figure on 8nm will send 92nm to wheel in Athers definition.
In Athers definition my small little sporty sends around 1100nm of torque to the wheel.
Their 110nm certainly fooled a few people here , including me for a while.

**Samarth 619** · 12-21-2014, 12:24 AM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather.

[MENTION=11125]designfreak[/MENTION] : We thank you for clarifying the entire matter. Being associated with the Auto industry for some time, I very well understand how people are misquoted, having witnessed 1 similar case in the past. I'm glad that this has appeared pre-maturely as a headsup soon enough. In the later stages, this could've caused bigger problems.

However, there're still mild confusions.
You say it has 110 NM torque, but doesn't match superbikes. From connecting these lines, I assume you mean it doesn't match sbk's in power output, so, it won't have Sbk class acceleration and top speed, ok, agreed.

But, it does have 110 NM of torque (pulling power), right?
Because, I find that very believable. Electric vehicles are very good at torque, not so good at high speed revving/ power output though.

Also, generally speaking, the torque at motor or engine is often more than the torque at the wheel, irrespective of the gearing. So, logically speaking, if you make 110 NM torque at the wheel, it must be around 120-125 NM at the motor. So, the company should not worry if it quotes the on wheel figure, because almost all the companies show on-crank/ on-motor figures. So, why worry from quoting the figure?

Even in Petrol vehicles, specs are anyways measured at the engine crank, before the CVT/ gearbox, which means CVT has no role in its output rating whatsoever. Its engine vs motor, at the crank, simple.

Again, further clarifications would be most welcome. Do let me know if I'm wrong at any point.

[MENTION=51699]dustom_99[/MENTION] : I believe the journalist team has mispresented the facts.

In regarding to the gearing & power, I think it makes perfect sense, although words are confusing.
Think about it:
TVS e-scoot made 35NM torque and gave a top end of 40 kmph.
This scooter gives 110 NM torque and a top speed of 75 kmph.
I think that it matches the 110cc scooters in terms of power output or final acceleration, seeing that it does 0-60 in 10 seconds. Since it was their first media brief, its good that things are clarified at the initial stage.

**Samarth 619** · 10-29-2015, 03:17 AM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather.

An update: Ather Energy now has an office in Bengaluru. Their experience of making it and moving in is described here:-

Ather Energy | Smart Electric Vehicles

Moreover, their Chief Business Officer speaks to Media in this interview:

It is being tested on the track, and there's a prototype too:-

**Nithesh** · 10-29-2015, 03:20 AM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather.

Is it still based on the Activa chassis?

**designfreak** · 11-02-2015, 06:17 PM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather.

Hello Nithesh,

This is Shantanu from Ather Energy.

The chassis of our vehicle has never been based on the Activa. The chassis and suspension of the S340 are of our own design.
In fact, the design of the chassis has always been our own - on every prototype since the beginning.

Originally posted by Nithesh View Post

Is it still based on the Activa chassis?

**Nithesh** · 11-03-2015, 08:43 AM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather.

Originally posted by designfreak View Post

Hello Nithesh,

This is Shantanu from Ather Energy.

The chassis of our vehicle has never been based on the Activa. The chassis and suspension of the S340 are of our own design.
In fact, the design of the chassis has always been our own - on every prototype since the beginning.

Nice to hear from you. What other prototypes apart from this scooter exist? Motorcycles in the cards? Is the facility open for public visits?

**Samarth 619** · 04-27-2018, 12:35 AM

Re: Flipkart Founders invest $1m in Chennai based company, Ather. Prototype ready.

Good news.

Guys, I have an update to share. Those who showed interest in the Ather e-scooter have now received emails that the final production variant is ready!!
We're looking towards a possible July launch with support for charging stations at various locations around Bengaluru. In a phased manner, more cities will be added.

Read what the email says:-(I'll bold mark the important points)

After 4 years, 55 prototypes, 50,000 km in on-road testing and over a million man hours, the S340 is finally ready!

And this one is not a render or a concept for a show. It’s rolling off an actual production line as we speak.

[ATTACH]240402[/ATTACH]

The last time we emailed you about timelines was in Jan 2017. That’s when we explained how we underestimated the challenges of validation and getting from a prototype to a production-worthy piece. For us 2017 has been about fixing those pieces for the product: from working with our supplier partners and getting the process quality right to stabilizing our internal systems.

And it has reflected in the S340. Things we had in mind while unveiling the proto but the vehicle did not have back then - a charging port, on-board charger, storage space, not sucky UI, waterproof dashboard, waterproof battery, waterproof charger, tooled up components, under seat light, regenerative braking, service scheduling, EMI protection, charging pod, motor cooling, CBS, Over-the-Air Updates, diagnostic alerts, parking assist, push navigation, charging locations tracking...it’s a pretty long list and a pretty important one to build out.

Early this year we finally started receiving pre-production components from our 100+ suppliers and vendors and our assembly line came up in Whitefield, Bengaluru. Vehicle trial production is running right now and we are planning to commence commercial production in July.

For us the S340 has never been only about the vehicle, but it is about your complete ownership experience - from purchase to after sales. When you have enough computing power baked into your design from the get-go, then how you track and schedule servicing, how and when you recharge, your reason to purchase itself - they all change. We have worked hard to ensure that we deliver on that superior ownership experience with the very first vehicle that we put on the road. Hence, not just your riding experience but your charging experience matters to us, your purchase experience matter to us, the servicing experience matters to us.

Over the coming months a couple of things are going to happen, so expect more announcements from us:

In May - our charging infrastructure is going live in Bengaluru. We are keeping it under wraps. However, installations have already commenced in Bengaluru. And yep, these stations will have fast charging capability installed from day 1.

In June - we will open up the pre-order window for the S340 for our Bengaluru customers. Around this time, we will also open our first Experience Center at Indiranagar in Bengaluru. You will be able to take test rides here and spend time with our teams.

All throughout - we will be getting more and more sentimental as this baby starts walking.

Soon after deliveries commence in Bengaluru, we will kick-start our plans to launch in other cities. We will announce our plans to launch in other cities later this year.

Finally, the S340 is a personification of years of work by a team that believes that it can build great experiences right here in India. That customers will pay for a superior product even if it’s built without a legacy. That engineering and product comes first. That it’s important to build it right - Move Fast and Break Things.

We hope you love it.

Exciting times ahead!
Tarun

So guys, what do you think about it?

Compared to petrol vehicles, we're talking about very low running cost (consider a petrol vehicle which gives 500~ kmpl!!), very low maintenance costs, and very low maintenance itself.
And also, predictive maintenance, where the vehicle will predict through AI and computer, where the fault is and which component is at fault.

This is going to change the commuter's world.

Attached Files

Announcement

Ather S450 and S340 e-scooters launched with all inclusive Ather One Plan.

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