Trying to address your queries here:
Why is connectivity charged and not bundled?
Learnings from the 450 told us that owners like to use their scooters differently, some want connectivity only on the scooter, some want app-scooter connectivity, some don’t want connectivity at all. The plans are to cater to the different needs, and your needs can change over time, so it’s flexible enough for you to subscribe only to the features you need.
It wouldn’t be fair to bundle it in the price itself, would it? That’ll just increase the price for everyone, even those who don’t want the features. We can’t give it for free, since there are recurring costs associated with these features:
- Software development costs (There are real people who develop software, maintain it, and work on new features and updates)
- Data connectivity costs (for the 4G connectivity)
- Data pipeline and storage costs (Your scooter connects to our servers in the cloud and then to the App, enabling the wide variety of features remotely)
No subscription is mandatory, you can choose to stop renewing or not take a subscription at all, your scooter will still work great without connectivity features. All OTAs containing critical bug fixes and improvements will be rolled out regardless, so your experience continues to improve, even without a subscription.
Btw, Bluetooth features do not require any subscription and will be available for anyone with a 450X.
Why Service plan is required?
It’s not. You can choose not to take a service subscription, and choose not to have your scooter serviced at all, it’s completely up to you and your judgement to decide that. Other OEMs give you 3 free services - these usually cover only labor and not consumables and is bundled into the cost of the vehicle. EVs, in general, do not undergo the same wear and tear as regular vehicles, and require very little servicing, only checks and replacement of consumables like brake fluid, pads etc.
The service plans offer convenience to you as an owner. It allows you to control your annual costs of servicing but paying a single fee for the service subscription.
Insurance - covers for accidents and any damage as a result
Warranty - covers for manufacturing defects and issues
Service - covers periodic maintenance.
Is Ather trying to loot?
There are segments in products, there’s the premium segment that we’re selling in right now. There’s no hiding away from the fact that it is an expensive scooter compared to the market. The 450 was sold at a loss, to test the market and see if people would buy it. Hence the price difference. You’d have also noticed other manufacturers raising the prices, cos they were selling at losses too.
As someone else mentioned in this thread, it’s a low volume product right now. Traditional auto companies have had decades to sell their products and lower the cost of manufacturing. That’s our goal too, maybe in a little less time 
So no, we’re not trying to loot you or cheat you or misguide you. In fact, we’ve openly and transparently talked about the journey we’re going through. Feel free to read these when you find some time:
https://blog.atherenergy.com/what-we-missed-explaining-during-the-launch-of-ather-450x-40e211fd33ae
https://blog.atherenergy.com/2021-growing-up-645e2bc7869b
Some more minor points:
- Charger installation chargers are completely optional. You can install it yourself if you’re handy with tools, not install and just hang it somewhere, some of our owners have kept it in the boot as well. You can also opt for the portable charger instead of the Dot.
- On FAME subsidy, it’s duly applied to you. The actual cost of the 450X without subsidy is just the price you paid + 29k. That’s the price that some owners pay if they already have bought an EV earlier, or are not eligible to claim the subsidy.
None of the community members who’re responding to you are paid or fanboys of Ather. They equally appreciate us when we do good, and call us out when something goes wrong. They all went through a similar journey as you as they understood EVs, and are just trying to help.
Looking at your following responses, it’s clear that the Ather 450X did not meet your expectations, and that’s solid feedback for us to take for newer products down the line.
, Ather is not transparent on its price and policies also
