Is it that the battery subscription isn’t available yet or that series 1 can not get battery subscription?
From what I understand, it’s not available NOW. When it will become available is for Ather to answer.
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There’s no change in the Dot colour.
I agree. The process that Ather has put to get Series 1 in itself a huge appreciation to us folks. Maybe it is enough and more spend from their side and would be more than giving away free subscriptions and accessories. But in the perceptive side of the customer, it is not visible, unfortunately. Let us wait and hear on what the team has to say.
Since 450x is priced high for usual upfront buying, it is better to pay Ather the battery lease then to pay financial institutions an interest. Good for Ather and for the user. Truly, the base took a while to understand what the battery subscription model does, but it makes sense (provided the exit options are good).
Just a note here for everyone, I’m sure opinions were swayed by how people were reacting to the Battery subscription earlier this year. Goes without saying but if you like something even though others don’t share the same opinion, speak up and share your feedback. It helps to hear everyone’s feedback.
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Ah now I get it!! I was all through ok for Battery Subscription and was not following community that much. Could not relate to it. Still my point remains. Also looking at the other process issues Here. Loan and Lease look way out of question 
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Yes, it was just a communication miss. If it was put in comparison with taking a loan, it is not a 5 year penance it is a 5 year subscription! But in Jan, the expectations were wide on getting a VFM vehicle suiting indian budgets with all the goodies. So it was a hard pill to take
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We don’t have clarity on when battery subscription would be available at the moment. I’ll try to get an estimated date internally, but nothing anytime soon.
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Battery replacement thru subscription - That is unique and for some one who travels more and expect good range all the time, then it definitely a good option.
But, for people who wants to choose subscription for the affordability, I think Loan is equally good.
- Interest rate is at all time low (it was 12% reducing, it could be lower with more partners)
- Interest is allowed as deduction for 80EEB. So, if you are in 30% tax slab, you are getting it for 8% or less (almost interest free considering you can get 6% for FD or a liquid fund)
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Makes a good case. But finance options interest is always interest. No matter how we recover from it, we end up paying that. When there is an option to save that 12% and use it on the other charges like Data/Grid Charge/Service etc., why should anyone stand to loose that 8% too?
Added to that is the advantage of not having to put up with the process and follow ups involved with a thirdparty.
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My main concern is battery warranty, with the subscription model I don’t have to worry as the most expensive part of the vehicle (Battery) is always taken care in the subscription model. I am looking at peace of mind, what if battery die after 3 years 1month? Unlike in other OEMs, you can opt for extended warranty or pay extra premium during purchase and get it covered for few extra years. Please correct me if I am wrong, if the vehicle cost is 99K without battery then considering subsidy part battery alone will cost you ~50K to 60K or may be more.
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Based on how battery prices are going in past few years, many including Ather Team predicts that by the time Ather 450 needs battery replacement, it would be 35k approximately.
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The FAQ says 20k in 3 years. Not sure if that’s for the 450 or the X but works either way.
Yeah lower the better definitely not 50-60k
You’re right. It’s this preconceived notion everyone has that if you buy electric, you HAVE TO save money.
To be fair, you’ll have to compare an Ather to an Aprilia or a TVS ntorq. Not an activa. And even then, there are a lot of ways the 450 beats them in terms of actual usability. For 1, none of those vehicles have been conceptualised from scratch, have such a large boot space, have great balance, provide a 24x7 connected experience, have a service experience where I don’t need to worry what they did to my scooter or where to drop it off, have a charging experience where I don’t need to worry about being out of charge because of the grid. And a connected experience where your vehicle actually improves over time with updates.
You’re not paying for just the scooter, you’re paying for the entire experience basically. That’s what makes it stand out. Being a 450 owner I don’t think I can get used to riding a petrol vehicle after this. As childish as this might sound, the 450 still gets me excited when I use it to commute.
The 450X is expensive, sure. But I think they’ve justified the price with the kind of upgrades they’ve made to the vehicle. If you’re someone who will use it normally and take good care of it like most people with a new vehicle, then buy it upfront. I’m sure the battery will last a long time.
If you prefer to be worry free and charge at the grid regularly, park it in the sun regularly, can’t be bothered to keep a 20-80% battery level or bother to shut it down when on vacation, then go for the subscription.
All this said, I don’t agree with every little thing that Ather does, yet, they accept their mistakes and try and fix them, which I think, is something everyone else usually tries to cover up and save face over 
@raghav.srinivasan sorry, this wasn’t meant for you but anyone else on the forum who can’t make up their minds and want to compare an Ather to an ICE vehicle.
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Okay so if you think th battery will die after 3 years. I highly doubt it. Ather started out as a battery manufacturing company first. Then an automobile manufacturer. @Abhishek has riden his scooter fo over 25k Km in the last 1.5-2 yrs and he’s notice almost no degradation yet. It’s the same risk you take when you buy any other scooter. The engine might just stop working after a week of buying it or after 5 yrs of buying it. But there’s been enough volume for you to believe that something like that won’t happen. When the 450X was launched with the subscription model, I didn’t see the merit in it other than people being tricked into thinking that the scooter is priced at 99k. I’ve met SO MANY people who thought that the 450X costs just 99k. Other than that I see no merit in the ownership model since ather’s batteries seem like they age really really well. They will last you for the life of the scooter IMO. But guys in Bangalore and Chennai know that and it’s been established, but to lower the threshold of EV adoption in the rest of the country, ather brought the subscription model. In total you end up paying well over 1.8L instead of 1.6L
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Park that thought
While these translucent panels and other components look premium on the Collections. What about the panels of the regular 450x?
That’s a nice catch. Haven’t thought about that. But Subscription is peace of mind where we need not worry about battery for the next 5 years.
Ather has been providing some referral discount of 2.5k I guess. That should cover the free connectivity you’re talking about. I’m not sure, if it’s still available or how much of the referral discount. Please check.
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