Ather refreshed its line-up this August with the introduction of the new, more affordable 450 S. Homologation documents now suggest that this scooter is about to get a new sibling.
- Will be called the Ather 450 S HR
- Gets 450 X's bigger 3.7kWh battery
- Likely to have same features as 450 S
The entire idea behind the rejig of the Ather electric scooter line-up was to try and make the scooter more affordable after the big cut in the FAME 2 subsidy earlier this year. Ather’s solution was to offer its existing 450 X with a choice of either a 3.7kWh battery pack or a smaller 2.9kWh pack. A new, simpler 450 S model was also added to the fray along with a 2.9kWh pack to further reduce the entry point. You can click here to read our review of the 450 S to understand what makes it more affordable.
Now it appears that Ather is giving its buyers more choice – 450 S' features with the range of the 450X. The homologation document states that the new scooter will be called the Ather 450 S HR (HR presumably standing for High Range), and get the 3.7kWh battery pack from the Ather 450 X paired to the smaller motor from the 450S.
This motor produces 5.4kW and 22Nm on the 450 S, and the scooter can hit the same 90kph top speed as its bigger brother with less urgent acceleration. It also misses out on the max-performance Hyper mode. The other big cost saving feature on the 450 S is its new segmented LCD display that replaces the TFT unit on the X.
With the 2.9kWh battery pack, Ather claims a 90km true range for both the 450 S and the 450 X. With that in mind, it is reasonable to expect that the 450 S HR should have a similar 110km true range as the 450X with the 3.7kWh battery pack. However, the homologation document quotes a certified range of 156km, which is slightly higher than the 150km range quoted by the 450X with the same battery.
As for pricing, the 450 S currently costs Rs 1.3 lakh (ex-showroom). You’ll have to pay a further Rs 14,000 for the Pro pack, which brings in multiple features like riding modes and more, taking the total to Rs 1.43 lakh (ex-showroom).
Meanwhile, Ather hasn’t yet released prices for the latest 450X with the 3.7kWh pack, but the Gen 3 450X is priced at Rs 1.45 lakh. Add on an extra Rs 20,000 for the Pro pack and you’re looking at an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.65 lakh. Expect the 450 S HR to sit somewhere between Rs 1.5 lakh-1.6 lakh (ex-showroom, with the Pro Pack).
Ved Janve
Vishal Venugopal
Dinshaw Magol
