2022 Ather 450X Gen 3 vs Ather 450X Gen 2 electric scooter: price, specs, design and more compared

The Ather 450X is a flagship product from Ather Energy, one of India’s earliest and more reputed EV startups. With the market heating up with new products every day (almost!), Ather Energy had to do something to keep interests active. The Ather 450X Gen 3 that was launched recently is a consequence of the cumulative rider and owner feedback. Ather’s connected scooter has now recorded riding data spanning over 218 million kilometres via the 40,000 plus Ather e-scooters currently plying on the road.

Ather has taken the “if its not broken, then don’t fix it” route with the 450X Gen 3 and has tinkered around with what already worked. The changes it has introduced are substantial and seem to have been a product of what the customers wanted and not what the company thought the customers wanted. All these intriguing details about the making of the Gen 3 make it imperative to pitch the 2022 Ather 450X Gen 3 with the older ATher 450X Gen 2. Let’s take a look. 

Ather 450X Gen 3 vs Ather 450X Gen 2 price in India

Ather Energy’s 450X Gen 3 premium electric scooter is priced at Rs 5,000 more than the previous generation Ather 450X Gen 2 model. This can be credited to the additional equipment that the newer model is shipping with. The Ather 450X Gen 3 is priced at Rs 1,55,657 (ex-showroom, Bengaluru) in its home state. The same is priced at Rs 1,37,612 (ex-showroom) in Ahmedabad, where it’s the least expensive. 

The Ather 450 Plus model range is available for Rs 1,35,996 (ex-showroom). The older Ather 450 Gen 2 was priced at Rs Rs 1,28,321 (ex-showroom) in Maharastra, where it was the cheapest. 

Ather 450X Gen 3 vs Ather 450X Gen 2 

Design 

The design on both the 450X, Gen 3 and Gen 2 are identical. The finishes, colour schemes, and decals are all the same. And that is very much unlike what we’ve come to expect from a generation changes in the auto industry. That said, minor changes have been brought about by valuable inputs from the customers. For starters, the rearview mirrors have now brought in form and function together, and they are aimed to improve rearward visibility, including peripheral visibility overall. This new feature will also be backwards compatible, according to Ather. The addition of a rear footboard that looks as if it’s a movable part of the chassis is also included, as is a hook at the rear for a 16ltr and 18ltr accessory bag for the scooter. Users of the Ather 450X Gen 2 model will soon get an option to get it installed on their vehicles soon, as the company is also work

Specifications  

The numbers on most fronts remain the same because, essentially, both the Ather 450X Gen 3 and the Ather 450X Gen 2 are very similar scooters. Changes have, however, been brought about where it matters the most, and that’s under the skin. The new 2022 Ather 450X Gen 3 packs in a larger 3.7kWh battery pack and is larger than the previous one. The older Gen 2 model only got a 2.9kWh battery pack. The inclusion of the bigger battery pack has also resulted in the Gen 3 being heaving by almost 4 kilos and now tips the scale at 111.6kg. 

Changes also extend to the rear suspension and tyres. The rear tyres are now a set of uprated 100 sections and are expected to be shipped with a pair of MRF Zapper tyres. This compliments the tight and crisp ride and handling set-up that the Ather 450X already boasts of. The rear suspension, too, has been beefed up to cradle the slightly higher weight and accommodate the wider set of rear tyres. The rear tyres too are backwards compatible. 

Overall performance remains largely the same on both the vehicles, with a claimed top speed of about 80kmph. The peak power has seen a bump of 0.2 kW, up from the previous model’s 6kW peak power output. The continuous power output remains the same on both vehicles. 

Features

Ather has also doubled the RAM and ROM on the multi-information display in the scooter’s dash. The 450X Gen 3 now gets to run on 2GB of RAM, and that should future-proof the system for some time. The ROM, which was at 8GB on the ATher 450X Gen 2 model, stands at a healthier 16GB on the 450X Gen 3. This could also help in the introduction of updates and fixes as the OS gets heavier with time. A tyre pressure monitoring system is also present as an optional accessory. 

Range and charging

The range on the Ather 450X, thanks to the bigger battery, gets more range now. The new Ather 450X Gen 3 gets a claimed range of about 146km and a true range of 105km in Eco Mode. The Gen 2 model managed to deliver a claimed ARAI-certified range of 116km with about 85km of real-world range when riding in Eco Mode. 

Charging speeds have remained the same despite the larger battery, and thus the charging time has gone up to 4 hours 30 mins. The previous model used to charge up within an estimated time of about 3 hours 35 minutes. 

The newer Ather 450X Gen 3 could have a 25% longer battery life. Ather suggests that since the overall performance of both generations has remained the same, the larger battery pack allows for a lesser load on individual cells. It is also aided by the fact that the e-scooter in the Gen 3 form can now deliver a higher range, and thus users need to charge it less often, thereby extending the battery’s health further. 

Verdict

The Ather 450X Gen 3 looks visually indifferent from its predecessor, and it’s no bad thing for most as the scooter already looks modern and attractive. The smaller adjustments made throughout the vehicle only make it more practical to use. The biggest changes that lie underneath the skin truly differentiate the Gen 3 from the older Ather 450X Gen 2. The additional range, future-proofed information cluster, increased grip and better visibility all improve the Ather 450X as a package. The Rs 5,000 bump in price is also minor given the improvements. The new 2022 Ather 450X Gen 3 gets a thumbs up from us!