Ather Energy announced three major initiatives designed to address the key barriers preventing consumers from switching to electric vehicles. The company has introduced Battery as a Service (BaaS), expanded its Assured Buyback programme to a larger customer base, and launched an Extended Comprehensive Warranty (ECW). All of these initiatives are aimed at making electric scooters a more accessible and worry-free choice for Indian families.
The initiatives directly address the three primary concerns that potential EV buyers face: upfront costs, uncertainty about resale value and warranty concerns. With BaaS, customers can now purchase the Ather Rizta starting at Rs 75,999 (ex-showroom Lucknow) and the 450 Series starting at Rs 84,341 (ex-showroom Lucknow), with flexible monthly plans for battery usage, offered by banks/non-banking
financial corporations and other entities with whom Ather has partnered.
Ravneet S Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy Ltd, said "As the EV segment continues to grow in the country, we see customers with different needs and challenges entering the segment. To unlock the segment’s true potential and accelerate growth, we've rolled out a slew of initiatives to cater to the different needs of our potential customers. With BaaS, ECW and Assured Buyback, we aim to address major barriers that exist for customers when purchasing a new EV scooter. As one of the leading players, we stay committed to making it easier for families to experience the benefits of EVs."
Making EVs more affordable with BaaS
While the running costs of EVs are far lower than ICE vehicles the upfront cost can be a hindrance for someone wanting to switch. To address this Ather launched Battery as a Service (BaaS) where consumers have to only pay for the cost of the scooter without the battery and can choose a plan to pay for the battery as per monthly usage starting as low as Re 1 per kilometer. BaaS aims to make Ather’s electric scooters more accessible by reducing the initial investment required for EV ownership as it allows the price of the scooter to be split into ‘shell’ and ‘battery’. Customers can choose to pay the upfront cost of the shell and pay the cost of the battery as per their usage.
As a part of this offering, customers are charged based on the kilometre usage and the cost of the battery is recovered over a span of 3 to 4 years as per consumers preference. The BaaS model features a usage-based payment system for the battery component, with pricing at Rs 1 per kilometer based on a 48- month package with a minimum of 1000 kilometers of monthly usage.
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