The Indian two-wheeler EV market is gaining momentum, with legacy manufacturers expected to sell close to 10 lakh units by the end of the year. But EV startups are looking to put up a tough fight. Case in point: Ather and Simple, both Bengaluru-based EV makers, which have launched new EV family scooters. The Ather Konarc S 161 will be available from later this month, and Simple has announced that deliveries for the Wave start this month. Let’s see how both compare on paper.
Simple Wave vs Ather Konarc S 161: Motor, battery and charging
Simple offers more power, a bigger battery and a faster standard charger
Simple’s scooter brings a strong first punch with a higher-powered motor and a marginally bigger battery than the Ather Konarc S. It also has a notably higher top speed. The Wave, on the other hand, comes with a faster 750W off-board charger, enabling it to charge to 80 percent almost two hours faster than the Konarc, which gets a 450W on-board charger as standard. However, Ather gives the option to add another 450W off-board charger for faster 900W charging. Simple currently doesn’t offer such an option for the Wave.
Simple Wave vs Ather Konarc S 161: Dimensions and underpinnings
Konarc gets a lower seat but weighs more
On paper, the Konarc has a marginally longer wheelbase than the Wave, but do note that the Wave boasts the longest seat in the country at 920mm, a title earlier held by the Ather Rizta. For what it’s worth, we did not face any issues with the Konarc, space-wise or comfort-wise. It also has a slightly lower seat height, but that’s a negligible difference to most users. What’s not negligible is its 4.5kg additional weight over the Simple Wave, but it’s explained by the Konarc using metal body panels.
Simple Wave vs Ather Konarc S 161: Brakes, tyres and suspension
Konarc gets larger tyres
The Konarc is the first Ather to get a 14-inch tyre, even if it’s just at the front; and its rear tyre is larger than the Wave, which sticks to a 12-inch at both ends. Both scooters have a front disc brake and a rear drum brake, although Simple hasn’t clarified the size of the Wave’s rear drum. On the suspension side of things, the major difference is that the Wave uses a twin-shock rear suspension, whereas the Konarc gets a monoshock unit.
Simple Wave vs Ather Konarc S 161: Features
Features filled to the brim, for an added price
Features have been the trump card for almost all EVs from their inception, and Ather has led that charge. Simple appears to have caught up to Ather, as both scooters are matched on features such as fall-safe, hill-hold, smartphone connectivity and a TFT cluster on the top variants and an LCD cluster on the lower variants. Simple offers you a choice between the TFT and LCD cluster on the Wave (TFT costs Rs 15,000 extra), whereas Ather has reserved the TFT cluster for the Z line, due for a launch next year. Features-wise, both companies offer turn-by-turn navigation, call and SMS alerts, and GPS tracking, among others. Ather Konarc S gets most of those features in its LCD cluster, but Simple has reserved all of these for the TFT cluster variants.
A majority of these features require additional subscriptions. Ather’s is a one-time cost of Rs 17,000 (AtherStack Pro) for the Konarc S 161 variant. Simple, on the other hand, offers two kinds of subscription plans. The first plan is a one-time purchase to add a tyre-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and connectivity modules. The second plan is a yearly subscription that enables all the smart features the company has to offer. At the time of writing, Simple hasn’t revealed the prices for the Wave line-up yet. Just for perspective, for the One scooter with a 5kWh battery, you have to pay a Rs 3,687 one-time payment for the first plan and Rs 2,999 per year for the second plan. To be clear, it’s possible to buy and use either scooter without subscribing to these add-ons, but the experience will feel a lot like a typical ICE scooter.
Simple Wave vs Ather Konarc S 161: Price
Ather gets the better starting price
For all that it offers, including the longest seat in the scooter industry, 63 litres of boot space and an additional 7 litres of cubby storage spread across the scooter with innovative spots such as Pill-storage, the Simple Wave costs Rs 1.60 lakh for the LCD cluster variant and Rs 15,000 extra for the TFT variant. The Ather Konarc without AtherStack Pro comes in at Rs 1.45 lakh, and with it, would go up to Rs 1.60 lakh. While Ather has officially announced that the Konarc S 161 variant will be available starting later this month, Simple hasn’t clarified whether their “deliveries in September” claim applies to all six variants. If you are interested in either scooter, we suggest that you check out and take a test ride before deciding.
Autocar India Team 
Vishal Venugopal
