No in tamilnadu the bill is not passed yet the road tax is 1.07 lak for Nexon ev.i am waiting for the day that government passes the bill and I will buy Nexon ev
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Got my cancellation refund. It is ₹1000 not ₹2000. So cancel thoughtfully. 
And book thoughtfully as well.
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Agreed…I booked just to stay ahead in queue incase I opt to buy…
What made you not to go for it?
Lack of smart features mainly…calculator display. For some reason Ather has spoiled me for an LCD screen 
which TVS has.
You mean the Nexon EV CANCELLATION?
Nope, Bajaj Chetak
Went for the Chetak test ride today. Was not impressed.
Cons: Not confident on cornering. Sub par grip. Probably my biggest gripes.
Will wait for the 450 to be delivered. My timeline says JAn-Feb delivery. Am guessing payment window opens by the end of the month. Another month to go.
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Ather 450 cannot be compared with Chetak as I feel they cater to different age groups.
What were the things that failed to impress you Sir? Kindly share.
At what speed you weren’t confident on cornering?
Lesser grip is understandable because of front-rear weight ratio. This is what I find as a user of Vespa-LX125. I slow down at corners and ride at speed within limitations of the scooter. I did have a torrid time in the first two weeks of switching over from bike to Vespa. Got used to it later. But the advantage in Vespa is the perfect balalnce…I am not not sure whether Bajaj has achieved this perfect balance in Chetak. Suspensions in both Vespa and Bajaj are similar, i guess.
Comparisons were drawn keeping only the price point. There are only 3 vehicles in this segment right now (450/Chetak/iQube) which majority of the people can consider. Age’s got nothing to do with the ride quality right?
The difference in performance from eco to sports mode was barely noticeable. Dont have exact numbers during cornering, but the level of confidence was less compared to my usual riding style on Dio/RayZR (Have test ridden 450 and the confidence was pretty high compared to my ICE counterparts). Brightness level of the display in sunlight.
Of course you can adapt to any vehicle given time. I do not like to be tamed by the vehicle. Ather gave me the freedom to ride the way i want it to. Simple as that
And yeah, Chetak is not perfectly balanced (As all EVs should be) 
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Chetak test ride
I rode the Chetak today and I am listing down my views
Design - definitely not a head turner. Blends with the rest out there. Just the run of the mill design that doesn’t stand out and elicit questions. But it is nicely done with no rough edges etc. Did not like the split tail lamp. The headlamp looks good and the seating position is quite easy. The DRLs are quite bright.
Overall Quality - feels premium. Fit and finish is good. The switchgear feels good although the D button on the test ride vehicle wasn’t as responsive as it should be. The instrument panel is drab and is hard to read in bright sun.
Performance - it was a tad difficult to start the vehicle as the lever had to be really pulled back hard. The modes are automatic and it starts in eco and as you accelerate changes to Sport. The balance is decent although not comparable to Ather. The acceleration is smooth and the vehicle doesn’t make as much sound as Ather. However the overall performance. Leaves a lot to be desired. With two astride I experienced a definite lag in pick up especially on the slopes of Banashankari. The shocks are very pliable and hence the ride over speed breakers was better than Ather. However balancing definitely with 2 on board is more difficult on the Chetak than on the Ather which has a stiffer suspension setup.
Brakes - not adequate. Perhaps a disc at the back will help.
Battery and Charging - can’t really comment on the overall mileage and charging but it is convenient to charge as it can be plugged into a regular wall socket. No fancy sockets/plugs/chargers.
General - the side stand indicator is a plus. The turn indicators on either side will need some getting used to. The USB socket inside the front glove box is neat and helpful. The electric opening for glovebox and underseat storage is neat. The underseat storage is very small and one cannot store a full face helmet in there. I also felt that with the front glovebox and the bulbous projection under the seat front, the leg space looks cramped.
Overall I felt that it is a decent scooter for a steady commute but doesn’t offer any fun. The 450 is head and shoulders above Chetak in performance, braking, handling, flickability and balance. It is more fun to ride than the Chetak and also is a head turner. No comparison here. Clearly two different markets to me.
To me Chetak doesn’t cut.
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Bajaj has entered the EV game with chetak, Yamaha is launching soon, TVS is launching soon very few Startups are there in the market as an early mover BUT, fighting against the behemoths is not a wise thing.
I wish, Ather should collaborate with Revolt bikes or polaris EV and its important to come out with range of vehicle types not sticking to one type of vehicle
1 scooter model to compete with chetak 1 street bike model to compete with duke 1 cruiser model to compete with RE Meteor 1 heavy weight auto to compete against Piaggio
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Did anyone notice that Bajaj has increased prices of chetak variants - https://www.chetak.com/ownership. Premium at 1.2L and urbane at 1.15L, both ex showroom. Also, there are reports buyers are being charged around 10k extra for the portable charger that used to be bundled for free.
Seems like they did take some cues from Ather and didn’t shy away from hiking the prices - all those who were comparing Bajaj vs Ather should definitely re-consider the value prospect now.
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This was my biggest fear when Ather announced pricing for 450x. I knew this would happen as soon as Ather 450x priced way higher than 450. As Ather had aspirational status, 450 price acted as upper ceiling for Bajaj and TVS for their electric offerings.
With Ather 450x pricing, stopping sales of 450 and decent demand for electric vehicles Bajaj silently increased Chetak’s price. Price increase is actually more (+15,000) for cheaper variant while premium variant increased only ~Rs 6,000. Just like Ather they are now showing ex showroom. Earlier both companies used to quote on road price.
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Actually, I have a feeling Ather moved to showing ex showroom prices from on-road prices not for any ulterior motive, but just because now with entry into so many cities, the on-road price would vary significantly depending on local regulations (tax, etc.), right?
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I have no idea for the reason behind this move. But its not a big deal as it is common practice across the industry.
As per latest rumor/news from CNBCTV18, Bajaj also planning to launch Chetak nationwide in 30 cities with initial launch expected to be in Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Vizag and Goa in the first phase.
On one hand, battery prices are declining at rapid pace and govt taxing EVs at just 5% (vs 28% for petrol vehicles) and providing great incentives under FAME (~ Rs 25,000), yet the prices on these electric 2 wheelers are too high and increasing.
Competition is needed to bring down the prices for EVs which is what I expected from Ather. Sadly, it seems to be a long wait.
I am not sure if the price was really increased.
The main difference I see is they have started mentioning Subisidy as ZERO with a note (FAME- II subsidy, or equivalent, is subject to approval from Department of Heavy Industries, Aadhar number is needed for Subsidy claim on Electric Vehicles for individual buyer and PAN for Business Buyer.)
They have reduced the ex-showroom price and increased the insurance (because of 5-year 3rd party insurance, but, that rule is not there anymore)
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Probably in preparation for launch in other cities where states offer additional subsidies?
They aren’t even accepting orders in the cities they have launched 
new cities already?
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