Internal Updates

Hey folks,

We are rolling out our first resolution to the Vodafone 3G discontinuation. OTA update 4.2.2 will optimize the connected experience at slower network speeds. This will ensure that the most used connected features are less affected even on a 2G network.

Additionally, our teams have worked out a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for swapping the SIM cards from Vodafone to BSNL. Initially our teams were concerned about swapping SIM cards since it needs special test equipment to validate the sealing of the dashboards (we don’t open the dashboards to the PCB level in general service). Doing this would have meant a very long process of sending dashboards back to our supplier’s facilities and hours of labor and logistics cost. However, the engineering teams have come up with a work-around to this. We will need ~4 weeks to setup an efficient process and we should be ready by mid-Sept to start swapping SIM cards.

Rest assured, your dashboards are our responsibility and owners won’t be at risk in this changeover. (side bar: there is a learning here for our design teams. The integrated nature of the dashboard which made SIM-swaps so hard was not the right choice and will be addressed with the 450X and 450+ onwards)

The SIM swap to BSNL will be free of cost for owners, however to ensure we cover the SIM swap for all owners quickly, you’ll have to drop off your scooter at the service center and pick it up when the swap is done, just this once :slightly_smiling_face:. Alternatively we will do the change as part of your next scheduled service appointment ourselves.

Finally, development of the 4G upgrade module in the form of a dongle is on fast track mode now and under testing. Given automotive testing requirements it will still need 4 months for deployment but we will make sure that the community is kept abreast of updates.

The 3G discontinuation was not a complete surprise but yes, the timeline caught us a few months early. In acknowledgement of this, we will:

  1. Reduce the cost of Ather Connect by 50% for all affected users, until the 4G dongle is ready. The discount (Rs. 125/month) will also be extended to other AtherOne subscription packs.

  2. Offer a discounted rate on the 4G dongle with Ather bearing a part of the cost. The dongle will be available at ~Rs.2500 + GST.

We are grateful to the community for your patience and want to ensure everybody that this is our highest priority currently

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Hey folks!

There are still lots of people looking to get the Ather 450 as their first EV, and who better than our owners and enthusiasts to give them a gentle nudge :smiley: We are refreshing our referral program to enable referrals for the Ather 450 as well. So go ahead, grab your referral code in your inbox or on your dashboard (app.atherenergy.com), and convince one more person to go electric! Next time you convince someone to buy an Ather 450, both of you get benefits!

When they buy an Ather 450, both of you get Rs. 2500 credits that can be redeemed against Ather One subscriptions, starting October.

You’ll find more information in your inbox. If you want to share your referral code, head to the Referral Hub in your dashboard app.atherenergy.com/user/referral.

We’ve created this thread https://forum.atherenergy.com/t/ask-an-ather-owner where folks who are interested in buying an Ather, can interact with owners and enthusiasts like you!

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Hey everyone! We’ve now got three new Ather Grid locations up and running in Bangalore.

Olive Planet, Yelahanka

KHELO - Badminton and Fitness Academy, Uttarahalli

Cross Roads Inn, JP Nagar

This hopefully addresses the requests from the community for charging points in South Bengaluru and Yelahanka.

Go try out charging at these locations if it’s on your way, and spend some time while your Ather 450 charges up!

The pandemic and the lockdown slowed us down in installing new Ather Grid Points and also impacted some of our hosts who’ve unfortunately had to shut down. But things are looking up now. Soon we will have a couple more Ather Grid locations added as well to cover more grey areas in the city. Yes, we’ve had a few downtime issues across some locations in the city, but rest assured, we are working on the same to resolve them. Stay tuned!

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New Ather Grid points in Bengaluru!

Hey folks,

We’ve installed three new Ather Grid points in Bengaluru. These Grid points should cover some of the requested areas. So if you’re on your way and pass by these Grid points, stop by and explore the locations, grab something to eat while your Ather charges up!

The Cuboidal - House of Milkshakes, BTM Layout

IDC Kitchen, near New BEL road

Sai Menaka Commercial Complex, Yelahanka

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Hey @Chennai

There are heavy rains in Chennai along with a cyclone alert for the next few days. Ather Space and Servicing in Chennai would be closed for the next few days. Here are some precautions you can take to ensure you Ather scooter isn’t affected by the cyclone:

  1. Disconnect and turn the charger off, especially if your charger is installed in an open space
  2. Ensure you park it on higher ground and under a covered space if possible. Avoid parking on inclines.
  3. If you’re parking it outside, make sure the scooter is parked on firm ground. Avoid parking on loose soil, since heavy winds are expected.
  4. In case of any unfortunate flooding in an area, try to ensure the water doesn’t go above the floorboard if it is safe to do so.
  5. If the water level is above the floorboard, do not turn on the scooter or operate it. Wait for it to completely dry and reach out to the service team for an inspection.
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Hey @Ather_Owner

The new subscription plans are now live! If you’ve been waiting for the new Connect & Service plans, you can go ahead and subscribe to a new plan. Head over to app.atherenergy.com and click on “Manage subscription” to choose between Lite and Pro plans.

If you missed out on the earlier announcement of what’s included in the plans or you have a tough time deciding between Pro and Lite, here’s a refresher:

Note: All prices above are exclusive of GST. Those eligible for Series 1 benefits will see the Ather Service Pro plan applied automatically for a year. This will reflect on your dashboard post the delivery of your scooter.

Pro-tip: The next time your subscription is up for renewal, you can make use of any referral credits that you’ve accrued. For a lot of you, this should cover a significant portion of the cost of taking up Ather Service and Ather Connect.

Haven’t referred yet? Go ahead and convince a few of your friends or family to switch to an Ather 450X or Plus (make sure they use your referral code) for these sweet benefits.

Got questions on the subscription plans? Head over here: https://www.atherenergy.com/faq/vehicle/post-purchase

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Hey folks,

As you might have been aware, Google services were down for some time today. Connected services might be down for a bit since we use Google cloud for backend servers. Some ride stats might see issues since it uses google to track start/end locations and addresses. We’re checking on the impact and will share an update on the impact.

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Hey folks!

A lot of you would have experienced longer waiting times on calls and responses over email recently, and we’re aware of the issue. The last couple of months have been incredibly busy for us as we expand into newer cities and onboard lots of new Ather owners.

Our average call waiting time has jumped up from 19s to about 2 minutes, and many of you got dropped off the calls as you were waiting. Our average email response time has increased from 3 hours to about 14 hours :frowning:

This is definitely not the experience we’d want you to have, and rest assured that our teams are treating this as a top priority. We’re working on fixing this in the next few weeks through a few solutions. In the short term, we’re onboarding more people who’d be able to answer calls, and in the long-term, we’re working on making it easier to resolve common queries through the app.

If you have a query that’s not urgent, please consider dropping an email or post it in the #Ask an owner thread. While our community won’t be able to answer individual queries, you’ll find plenty of answers and suggestions from fellow Ather Owners.

Some resources that can be useful:

Ask an Ather Owner: https://forum.atherenergy.com/t/ask-an-ather-owner

FAQs for common questions: #faqs

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