Ather Energy unveiled its latest electric scooter Konarc along with new battery, charging and vehicle-health technologies at the fourth edition of its annual Community Day, as the electric two-wheeler maker seeks to address some of the key concerns around EV ownership.
Konarc, the first scooter built on Ather’s new EL platform, is aimed at mainstream Indian riders and will be available in six variants across the S and Z product lines. The scooter offers IDC range options ranging from 100 km to 200 km.
The company said Konarc has been designed around everyday riding conditions in India, with a focus on ride comfort, stability, serviceability and ease of ownership. It comes with a 10,000-km service interval, while features include Advanced Electronic Braking System (AeBS), MagicKey, AutoPop and AirWalk. Onboard charging and Combined Charging can reduce home charging time by up to half, Ather said.
“Community Day has always been about sharing what we have been building with the people who have been part of our journey. This year, we have some of our biggest launches across the vehicle, battery, charging and ownership experience,” Tarun Mehta, co-founder and CEO, Ather Energy, said.
The company also introduced its fifth-generation Bedrock battery platform, featuring BreachSense, a monitoring system designed to detect microscopic damage following a high-impact accident. Ather said the system can identify micro-leaks caused by cracks that allow moisture into the battery, enabling the company to alert riders and take action, including activating limp mode where required.
The new battery platform has five times higher cell-balancing capability than the previous generation. Ather expects the batteries to reach 70 per cent state of health at around 1 lakh-1.2 lakh km, compared with about 80,000-1 lakh km for the previous generation.
The company has also announced a new 10-year or 1 lakh km battery warranty, whichever comes earlier, with a 70% state-of-health guarantee. Sales of the extended battery warranty will begin soon.
Ather also launched AtherNode, a charging management system for apartment and commercial complexes. A single central gateway can manage up to 1,000 chargers, dynamically distributing available power based on vehicles’ charging requirements and the building’s overall electricity consumption.
The company’s fourth announcement, Ather True Health, uses connected-vehicle data to generate a health score and assess components such as the battery, motor, dashboard, charging system, belt and brakes. For eligible scooters that have completed three years on the road with AtherStack Pro, the system also provides an estimated resale value, giving buyers and sellers a reference beyond age and kilometres ridden.