Discussions on News and Updates

As what he saying he is… range is very less. Cars you won’t keep two one for long distance and another for only city… if they get atleast 250 to 300 range then range of customers consider will increase like anything… with same range of e20 plus this ekuv also meet same fate… only few EV enthusiasts purchase.

3 Likes

But if you consider the cost(speculated) of those vehicles in comparison, it all makes sense. As long as high quality Li-ion cells are not getting manufactured locally and government subsidies don’t apply to private vehicles, cost to customers is bound to stay high.

My point is, this eKUV has the same battery capacity (15 kWh) and range (120 KMs)as e20 plus (which is now discontinued) which released many years back. 120 KMs range is not enough irrespective of the price.

Its the same situation as Hero electric scooters vs Ather. People are ready to pay the double the prices of Hero electric scooters for Ather 450 because it meets daily needs of 80 to 90% of customers. For cars, 120 KMs is not enough because unlike 2 wheelers, cars are frequently used for long distance travels (going home towns from cities, etc…).

Mahindra bought Reva in 2010 but the development of Reva products since then is negligible to say the least. All this while the battery costs are down by stunning 85% ($1,160 per kWh in 2010 to $176 in 2018).

4 Likes

Even with such decrease in cost of Li-ion batteries it becomes exponentially more expensive for the average Indian consumer as the battery capacity grows.

  1. The P2 variant of the e20 plus is the only variant which comes with the 15kWh battery, and it is sold only to fleets right now and not to individual customers if I am not wrong. The next variant comes with 11 kWh of battery capacity but is priced on-road for 9.36L in Delhi. (Bangalore prices would be similar).
  2. The e-KUV claims to have a similar range yet with significantly better power and torque numbers. I think that should count for something.

I think it is the prohibitively high cost of Li-ion cells which is restricting the use of bigger battery packs in these upcoming mid tier vehicles.

Ather took a bold step by introducing the 450 at such a premium pricing when compared to other premium scooters in the market. And I think it is gaining traction amongst the masses much quicker than expected. Such a move can only be expected from lean startups like Ather unfortunately.

And I sense that even with Ather singing the success story now other startups in the 2 wheeler EV space are hesitant to be the first to break the next big cost barrier of 2L-3L to introduce their own products (most of them motorcycles) which have a performance similar to petrol counterparts in the 1-1.5L range.

4 Likes

“Such a move can only be expected from lean startups like Ather unfortunately”

Well, Reva is such a startup until it got acquired by Mahindra. If you don’t have plans for developing new platforms and technologies and invest more money, then what is the point of acquiring a startup like Reva?

My whole point is, 120 KM range is not enough for private or fleet customers. They need to develop proper EVs (250-300 KMs) instead of trying to meet the FAME II subsidy guidelines (fleet customers + under 15 lakh price).

They (all companies not just Mahindra) keep complaining about lack of chargers but don’t bother to improve the situation. If a small company like Ather is able to setup tens of chargers in a single city, why can’t these large conglomerates?

Funny thing is Mahindra has Formula E racing team but doesn’t have a proper electric car to sell.

6 Likes

Hi,
What do you guys think about upcoming EV scooters like Vespa elettrica and twenty two motors flow(battery swap). They seem to offer lot of range on compromise for speed.
Thanks

The other compromise being that they are still “upcoming” :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Ya i agree :slightly_smiling_face:

Battery swapping is a poor infrastructure idea (if you think scientifically)…

6 Likes

Check this out !

Sachin Bansal invests $32 mn in Ather Energy; firm plans 1 million unit factory https://www.livemint.com/companies/start-ups/sachin-bansal-invests-32-million-in-ather-energy-plans-1-million-unit-factory-1559047709204.html

2 Likes

Yeah. We got email from Ather as well.


Dats @atherenergy’s plant

5 Likes

This… I do not understand.

1 Like

Firstly, is it 220 crores or 350 crores or more.
Secondly, why do we need the ad, when we know about Ather in the first place?
Ather, your marketing team needs to look into this matter.
Even in my email, I get recieving Ather ads.

Use the money(funding) to target other 2 wheeler buyers, not us.

1 Like

The ads are served based on search history and content relevance.

1 Like

Ads are not shown by Ather. Your search history and online activity is what dictates what you see. Heard of cookies?
Recently there was a WhatsApp forward going around of a guy who complained to IRCTC that he was seeing explicit content only to get embarrassed :slight_smile:

6 Likes

Next time you see the ad, can you click on it to see where it redirects?

1 Like

Will redirect to atherenergy.com

2 Likes

Interesting. But not sure why they are targeting the people who already own or pre-ordered the bike. :wink: They should really focus on delivery right now. The publicity is massive already

1 Like