Ather 450 Apex Electric Scooter Production Commences, Deliveries to Begin in March

Ather Energy has revealed that the production of its fastest offering, the Ather 450 Apex, has finally begun. The company's most expensive model is built on the 450X platform and was introduced earlier this year. It currently retails for Rs 1.89 lakh (ex-showroom). In addition to being a new entrant in the brand's inventory, the Ather 450 Apex is a limited-run product, developed to mark ten years of Ather Energy's foray into the electric vehicle industry. The firm's co-founder and CTO Swapnil Jain recently posted a picture of the 450 Apex coming off the assembly line at its Hosur plant in Tamil Nadu. It is important to note that the deliveries of the electric scooter are set to commence next month.  

Ather 450 Apex: Features

#Ather450Apex starting to roll off the line pic.twitter.com/Y9KTKbVkxD

— Swapnil Jain (@swapniljain89) February 21, 2024

On the feature front, the latest Ather comes equipped with tyre pressure monitoring as standard. However, anti-lock braking (ABS) is not offered for the same. Moreover, the 450 Apex has the innovative Magic Twist feature, which allows for negative throttle for regenerative braking. It ensures smooth and consistent operation regardless of the battery's state of charge (SoC).  The throttle can be rotated up to 15 degrees in the other direction. Besides, there are LED lights, dual disc brakes, and a touchscreen display with Bluetooth connectivity and built-in navigation.

Ather 450 Apex: Mechanical Details

Both the 3.7kWh battery pack and the suspension and braking system from the 450X are still present in the new Apex. Based on the 450X platform, the Apex exhibits the highest level of performance. The PMS electric motor that powers the e-scooter puts out 9.38bhp of maximum power as opposed to 8.5 bhp on the 450X. The peak torque output, nevertheless, remains at 26Nm.

Furthermore, the 450 Apex boasts a stated range of 157-kilometre on a single charge, up from 150-kilometre on the Ather 450X, thanks to additional enhancements. Interestingly, the Apex is the first Ather model to offer a top speed of 100km/h and an upgraded 'Warp+' ride mode. It takes 2.9 seconds for the vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 40km/h, which is roughly half that of the standard scooter. As per Ather, there has been a 13 per cent improvement in initial acceleration. On top of that, the maker claims that roll-on acceleration has increased by 30 per cent, making it faster in the 40-80km/h sprint.

Ather 450 Apex: Appearance

The 450 Apex shares many similarities with the standard 450X, but in order to visually distinguish it from other 450 models, Ather chose to give it a special paint treatment that combines a two-layer "Indium Blue" paint job with contrast orange paint for the wheels, emblems, and frame. The near-transparent side panels on the 450 Apex are a playful touch that brings back impressions of the translucent panels found on the Ather 450X Series 1. At the time of the Apex's launch, the two-wheeler manufacturer had also announced that a customised helmet painted in the same colour scheme as the vehicle would be given to buyers.

Ather 450 Apex: Rival Models

When it comes to market competitors, the Ather 450 Apex locks horns with the likes of the Bajaj Chetak, the Ola S1 Pro, and the TVS iQube. 

Ather Rizta Incoming

Meanwhile, the Bengaluru-based manufacturer is also developing the Rizta, a brand-new family scooter. There aren't many details available right now regarding the scooter. However, the teasers imply that Rizta will be given the biggest seat, with plenty of room on the floorboard. The teaser photos also showed a touchscreen instrument cluster, indicating that the scooter will likely operate on AtherStack and have Bluetooth and Google Maps capabilities.