How Ather 450X Changed Dad's Opinion About Electric Scooters: From EV Sceptic To EV Lover

Ather Energy was one of the first Indian brands to come forward with a proper electric scooter. The scooter was built from scratch in India and was made to suit our conditions. Unlike many brands, Ather took their time to resolve issues before releasing the product to customers. In the last couple of years, they have managed to sell over 2 lakh scooters in the Indian market since its launch. Here we have a social media post from an Ather 450X Gen 2 owner who shares his dad’s opinion about the scooter after riding it for over 34,000 km.

The post has been shared by Pankaj Malviya on LinkedIn. He bought the Ather scooter back in 2022. It was a time when Ather had limited their operations to major cities.

Pankaj bought the scooter from Delhi and transported it to Bhopal where his family was living. When the scooter first arrived, Pankaj’s father was skeptical as he had never ridden an EV in his life and he was also not sure about the servicing part.

Pankaj mentions in the post that his father didn’t even touch the scooter for the first few days and even called it a bad investment. Pankaj’s father, just like many of our households, had a Honda Activa and was happy with it. He even said that Pankaj wasted Rs 1.7 lakh on the scooter and that it was his biggest mistake.

After some time, Pankaj managed to convince his father and he started riding the scooter. After he started riding the Ather, he never went back to the Activa. In fact, in the last 3 years, he rode the scooter for over 34,200 km. Usually, he used to fill fuel for Rs 100 for his local commute on his Activa. With the Ather 450X at home, he didn’t have to worry about fuel expenses at all.

Initially, the tracking and phone connectivity features of the scooter felt like a challenge, but now he has learned how to use them and tracks Pankaj’s location whenever he takes the scooter out. Not only does he use the connected features, but he also talks about them to others in his circle.

Pankaj mentioned that his father is really happy with the product. It is definitely a great product, though it has its share of flaws as well. One of the major issues is the styling. The Ather 450X has very aggressive styling and ride quality. Older people may not find it pleasing. The riding position is also a bit aggressive.

Pankaj mentions that they did face a couple of issues with the scooter, like the belt breaking once in the middle of a ride, and the regen not working all the time. Apart from this, the customer has not come across any major issues.

The battery is still strong and has not degraded much. The owner hopes that it will last for the next couple of years. Once they feel the battery is degrading, Pankaj’s father has already told him that they will go for the Ather Rizta, which is a family scooter suitable for older riders like him.