Ather Energy, the Bengaluru based e-scooter start-up has leased a 450 to a customer in its home city, officially commencing its rental program. The lease options have been introduced with the help of Autovert, another Bengaluru based company that provides financing options for electric scooters.
The lease options are available on both models Ather currently offers - the 340 and the 450 - for durations between 13 months and 36 months. The down payment options for the 340 range between Rs 30,000 and Rs 65,000, which varies the monthly rental from Rs 3,977 to Rs 2,274, respectively. Similarly, for the 450, down payment options range between Rs 40,000 and Rs 75,000, which results in monthly rental amounts between Rs 4,220 and Rs 2,517. The monthly rental amount remains the same irrespective of the duration (13 months to 36 months) and changes only according to the down payment amount. For more info, head to the Ather Energy website.
At the end of the lease period, the customer has the option to buy the same scooter for an amount between Rs 10,000 and Rs 45,000 for the 340 and between Rs 10,000 and Rs 55,000 for the 450 (depending on down payment amount and duration of lease).
Something to be noted if you are considering leasing an Ather for a shorter duration is that only a part of the down payment is refundable for any period lesser than the maximum possible 36 months. For a period of 13 months, you will be refunded 60 percent of your down payment. This value increases with the duration.
The lease program also includes an Ather Service subscription through which the brand will take care of the logistics and replacement of spares when service is due. The spares covered by the plan are wheel bearings, steering bearings, fork seal, swingarm bushes, brake pads, primary and secondary belts, and a top-up of brake fluid and fork oil. The lease also includes a charging cable for the 340 and a home charging unit for the 450.
Ather is currently present only in Bengaluru but has plans to expand to multiple cities by early 2020.