@Ather.Team
What type of battery is being used is it 18650 or 21700 or prismatic cells?.
Also from which company is it Panasonic, samsung,Lg,Sony?
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@Shreyas Is there ABS in ather 450? Won’t there be disc locking or brake locking problem?
And as for CBS which I’m using currently isn’t of great help on Indian roads compared to ABS
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@nithinkmr22 we have been working on a rain detection algorithm that can detect unintended touches due to rain, and it should take care of it in this situation.
Also, there aren’t enough options on the dashboard that will make riding a problem. The only thing I can think of is the vehicle getting switched between normal and eco mode at this moment.
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Indeed it does. And you are absolutely correct about that. In fact, tubeless tyres are so superior in handling small punchers compared to conventional tyres they usually don’t even become flat, they leak very slowly, and can get you to a repair shop without you needing to drag the vehicle.
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Our battery pack has 18650 cells. 
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Can’t deny that ABS has an added functionality over CBS, however, the cost of adding ABS to the vehicle is very high today.
Given our vehicles are meant to be used in urban environments. With the braking setup we have today, it is capable of handling hard braking without letting the wheels lock up, the rider has to be careful to use the front brake more aggressively than the rear brake.
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That is great, this way as when newer higher density cells are available, it’s easier to increase range and power in future revisions, much like a Tesla which went from 80kw to 100kw using 18650 in a span of few years.
Also 18650 cylindrical cells are safer then prismatic cells.
But I think 21700 is clearly the future since Tesla and even the power tool industry has switched to this size and laptops have stopped using cylindrical cells, in pursuit of thinness.
So, how much Ah is each cell, I am guessing 14 cells are connected in series based on your advertized battery nominal voltage.
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Nice to see various suggestions and ideas to improve the bike’s features.
@Shreyas
It is really great that you are considering customer’s suggestions and trying to incorporate it if feasible.
I am sure this is the right approach any company should consider.
After I test drove Ather450 i was convinced this is going to be a great bike to own. Had a good time at the showroom.
General points I felt:
- Indicator position as some had already mentioned was a bit far to reach.
I had mentioned in tbhp that a feature can be added to automate trigger indicators On and Off as the bike uses gps all the time and if the destination is set, it knows when and where to switch on Indicators!!
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To ensure safety brake lever lock will be helpful.
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Since there is no engine running when ignition is on. A small motor to add a tiny vibration (like that of mobiles ) will help remind the ignition status. Which can be off during acceleration
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Indicator integrated helmet connection. Most bikes indicators are not really visible for people who r driving suv when the bikes are very near to the bonnet in tight traffic. So helmet with indicators will be helpful in future and syncing the helmet to the bike need to be planned.
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Mobile charging point is a value addition, it is very handy (the reason that since gps is inbuilt in the bike and hence charging point not required is not right) i have a gps integrated car and I still have to use the car mobile charger.
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Additional Battery for range extention. Which can be plugged into the bike under the seat (even though helmet is kept under the seat rember the helmet has enough volume where the head fits as empty space. This space can be used to create a cylindrical extended battery accessory which may be useful for additional range.
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Charging stations may have huge que in future (assuming Ather is a huge success) as time to charge is more thn the time to re fuel in case of petrol engines. So u need to plan how much time to allocate to charge if there r cases where more people r waiting to charge.
Some intelligent ticketing system and cut off after few minutes.
We dont need people fighting in the charging stations. “ Im first and u r next “ or “ how much more time u need to charge and I have urgent work
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Any smarter plans to get the chargers installed in apartments. Have already heard permissions were denied to set up charging points by the associations etc.
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Coming to the point on Subscription i feel 8400 plus gst will be closer to 9 k which i feel is too expensive. Since I own a SuV (Tata safari Storme )and my maintenance per yr in the last 5 yrs including cluth replacements brake pads and consumables is around 10k.Includes free pickup drop.
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Is there any ways that customers can visit ur factory.(a tour into Ather ) I am very much interested
All the Best to Ur team Wish u make Better And Better bikes and Cars too in future
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Lot of well thought suggestions… especially Vibration idea is really good
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The whole idea of electric powered vehicles is to cancel vibrations. Better solution is to change the whole screen color (which is white) to maybe a yellow when the motor is off.
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@Ather.Team - Can a sound be introduced when the motor is switched on / bike start? In the current design, once the ignition is turned to ON, the display unit lights up along with a sound. Maybe this can be changed to:
When ignition is turned ON : only light up the display unit - this is enough as the dashboard light & information would be sufficient for the user to know that the bike is now ready to be started.
When the brake & start switch is pressed - start the motor and play a sound - An audio-visual alert is always better than a tiny notification (current design).
Can’t give the exact number out, but I’d just say it’s close to the industry standard for 2018
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Great suggestions Avanish, have discussed a few of these on the same thread above, some new ones. Addressing all of them below:
- I’ve had a similar question come up at Ather Space. We can do this very easily, much less effort required than turning the indicator off. We don’t do it as it’s a big safety hazard. In a lot of instances, riders choose to override the route suggested by the navigation, of the indicators, turn on, and the rider does not make a turn, it can cause accidents.
- No argument here. As communicated over our mail too, the current design of the braking system does not allow for it.
- We’ve tried multiple ways of letting the user know the vehicle is on. All of them over time become an annoyance. Even in higher end cars today, the engine noise and vibration are imperceptible. Ather vehicles surely have a learning curve when coming from ICE vehicles, but in real world usage, you won’t feel the need for knowing the ignition status through physical means.
- Need to have a local connection with the helmet, using wifi or Bluetooth. Since both are not present on the current version, this cannot be implemented for the current version even if we develop a new helmet for this.
- Agreed, and we are considering adding it to future vehicles. Can’t commit to it at this point though, as all our focus is on ramping up production.
- Considered adding an auxiliary battery, but did not find enough need or takers for the same, given the range was enough for most users daily usage. We also increased the range and battery capacity on the 450 for this range anxiety. Also, AtherGrid is setup for topping off the vehicle quickly whenever the range goes down. An addtional battery in itself is a complicated product, if there isn’t a strong need or use case for it, the R&D time and money spent on it will not be justified.
- Valid apprehensions, and we will work on these things going forward. Lots of learning on user behaviour to be done on our part in the coming few months
- While we are doing all we can to ensure smooth installations at our end, there are a lot of factors come into play while installing charging points at home. There was a time people were apprehensive about the installation of satellite TV dishes and air conditioners too. With more and more people getting electric vehicles, the friction to get charging points will reduce.
- Subscription costs include service but are not limited to it. It also includes all electricity costs, data costs, roadside assistance, consumable parts, etc. That said, we are working on plans that can be opted for if someone chooses not to opt for the full Ather One.
- Would love to do that, maybe once the production stabilizes enough and we have the bandwidth to arrange visits, we’ll have them. Not sure how soon that can be done though.
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Hello @Shreyas and Ather team.
Have the expected upgrades to the switch gear and plastics around the dashboard been implemented in the production vehicles.
Just in curiosity, How much does it takes to build 1 Ather 450 EV bike in production house.
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Don’t you think that the side step is a bit too high for elderly folks and short heighted pillions?
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Even after commencing deliveries of the first 450’s … I was pleasantly surprised to see Team Ather still testing their vehicle … Spotted two Ather 450’s out on the Hosur highway today less than 5 kms from the Hosur Attibele Toll Plaza … Both were maintaining a good speed of about 65-70km/hr constantly which was very reassuring. Appreciate the Teams constant efforts to improve an already brilliant vehicle
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Too high or too far?
There is no side step to climb on to the scooter…so there is no question of it being too high. After climbing up, the side foot rest is easily accessible to almost every adult
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Hello Ather Team,
I would like to seek clarification on the belt drive system. On the rear sprocket of the test ride vehicle (and on the images available on the website), one of the side walls (inside one) was missing. I am wondering if the engineering team has an explanation for this? Usually the sprockets have sidewalls on both ends to avoid belt slippage.
Regards,
Deepak
Have you ever noticed a belt in a front load washing machine, the drum pulley has no side wall at all, even though the drum shakes a lot, only the motor side pulley has side walls on both sides. If the drive train is well designed with the right amount of tension, the belt will never slip. Ather also uses teethed belt, which makes it even more unlikely to slip.
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