~ Palal Group and Ather Energy celebrate the inauguration of their new experience centre at Ponnurunni, Vytilla in Kochi
~ Ather Energy’s seventh experience centre in India
Kochi, March 12th, 2021: Ather Energy, India’s first intelligent electric scooter manufacturer, officially inaugurated its newest retail outlet – Ather Space, in Vytilla, Kochi in association with Palal Group. The central Kerala location picked for the experience centre, will cater to the evolving crowd of the city. The inauguration of Ather Space was led by a group of enthusiastic Ather customers who wanted to be the first ones to experience Ather Space.
The Ather 450X, India’s quickest and smartest scooter will be available to test ride and purchase at Ather Space. The experience centre is well equipped to provide a unique ownership experience along with complete service and support for the owners. Designed to be a dynamic, tactile, and interactive space, the new Ather Space will offer customers an opportunity to learn about every aspect of the vehicle and provide a complete overview of the various parts with a stripped-bare unit on display. Apart from seeing the key components of the scooter, one can learn and interact with the intelligent and connected features through a digital display and understand the unique ownership models introduced by Ather like the Assured Buyback program, Exchange, Lease programs before purchasing the 450X.
Ather Space is designed to educate customers about electric vehicles while providing a holistic experience in an interactive space. The company inaugurated its first experience centre in Bengaluru in June 2018 and later expanded its base with a bigger experience centre in Chennai, helping customers experience the details and make an informed purchase decision. Earlier this year, Ather expanded its presence across Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad. And, with the newest Experience centre opening its doors, customers in Kochi can now ride the Ather 450X and get an in-depth view of the product and its features before purchasing the vehicle. They can also book test ride slots on Ather Energy’s website prior to visiting the experience centre.
Ather Energy has already installed Ather Grid points in Kochi and has installed 5 fast-charging points, so far. These charging points can be found in locations like French Toast (Panampilly and Kacheripady), Grand Mall (Edappally), Jogo Infinite (Perumanoor), Center Square Mall (Rajaji Junction) and Ather Space Kochi. To boost the adoption of EVs in the city, Ather Energy will provide free charging at Ather Grid till March 2021 for all-electric 4Ws & 2Ws. The company plans to add 10-12 more charging points to strengthen Ather’s charging grid network to provide smooth and stress-free rides for EV owners in the city.
Ather Energy also offers an upgraded version of the iconic Ather 450 called the Ather 450 Plus which has a top speed of 70 kmph and a True Range of 70 km in Eco mode. The Ather 450 Plus offers 4G connectivity, onboard navigation and other connected features but does not have Bluetooth connectivity and the Warp Mode.
The ex-showroom price of the Ather 450X is INR.161,426 & INR 142,416 for the Ather 450 Plus in Kochi. Ather energy will also soon begin operations in Kozhikode and will set up the public charging infrastructure and open an experience center in the city.
Quote by Ravneet Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy:
Kochi has always been on top of the list for expansion because of the awareness and acceptance of EVs in the market. Our experience centre will further enhance awareness about high-performance 2-wheelers and highlight Ather Energy’s value proposition, a great experience powered by intelligence. We are pleased to partner with the Palal Group to support our expansion plans with a new experience centre in Kochi. Their extensive experience and proven expertise in the automotive retail sector will complement our efforts towards building an experience for our fans and customers”
Quote by Mr. Geevarghese Varghese, Director, Palal Group:
Palal Group is delighted to partner with Ather Energy that’s building India’s best and first Intelligent electric scooter. Kerala as a market is very advanced and understands the importance of an electric vehicle plus people are tech savvy and easily adapt to the latest technologies. The response till date has been excellent and we are sure that Ather will redefine two-wheeler industry in coming years. A high-performance electric two-wheeler was missing in this market and with the launch of 450X here, the void has been filled. I am glad to be part of the electrification journey in Kerala and sure that this product will be a hit here
About Ather 450X
The Ather 450X is an upgrade from its predecessor Ather 450 and is the quickest and one of the smartest scooters in India, and comes in four colours: Grey, Green, and White along with the limited-edition Series 1. The scooter is powered with a 6kW PMSM motor, a new 2.9 kWh lithium-ion battery, and comes with 4 riding modes. In addition to Eco, Ride, and Sport, Ather Energy has introduced a new high-performance mode, ‘Warp’. Ather 450X can go from 0 to 40 kmph in just 3.3 sec in Warp mode, making it the quickest scooter in the 125cc category and the perfect choice to navigate through city traffic. The Ather 450X also charges 50% faster than before at 1.5km per minute, making it the fastest charging rate in the electric two-wheeler category.
Additionally, the electric scooter will have a 4G SIM card and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing riders to manage phone calls and music on the touchscreen dashboard. The new 7” touchscreen dashboard, comes with a colour depth of 16M and a Snapdragon Quad-Core processor. Ather 450X utilises Android Open Source to offer Google Map navigation, on-board diagnostics, and other unique features like Over-the-air updates, Auto Indicator off and Guide-me-home lights.
About Ather Energy:
Ather Energy, one of India’s first intelligent electric vehicle manufacturers was founded in 2013 by IIT Madras alumni, Tarun Mehta, and Swapnil Jain. It is backed by the founders of Flipkart -Sachin Bansal & Binny Bansal- Hero Motocorp and Tiger Global. Ather Energy launched India’s first truly intelligent, electric scooter – Ather 450 in 2018, followed by their new flagship offering Ather 450X in 2020. Ather has also installed a comprehensive public charging network, Ather Grid, designed and built in India. With 108 charging points across India, Ather Grid is one of the largest fast-charging networks for electric vehicles in the country. The company’s product line has won 37 awards in design, automotive and technology categories. With over 60 Indian and international patent applications, 109 trademarks and 118 Indian and International design registrations to its name, Ather Energy aims to provide consumers with the best possible ownership experience. Ather Energy currently operates in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai and will expand to a total of 27 cities in 2021.
About Palal Group:
Palal Group is a six-decade old group with interest in Automobile, Retail, Trading, Real Estate and Plantation. They are associated with brands like Hero MotoCorp, Aditya Birla Retail, Canon Inc, EPSON, Exide, TVS , Prestige Estates for developing projects in Kakkanad.
