Launched recently in India, Bajaj Chetak electric has a direct rival in the form of Ather 450 in the electric scooter segment
Bajaj Chetak Electric has been topping all the headlines in India ever since its launch which happened a couple of days back. The reasons are obvious; it is the first all-electric scooter from a major and popular two-wheeler maker in India. It directly rivals the Ather 450 in our country. Hence, let’s figure out how these two electric scooters fare against each other on paper:
Price & Availability
Bajaj Chetak is introduced in two variants: Urbane and Premium. The former is priced at Rs 1 Lakhs while the latter can be availed at Rs 1.15 Lakhs. However, initially, it will be available for sale in just two cities: Pune and Bengaluru. The bookings for the scooter are underway at select KTM dealerships in both the aforementioned cities at a token payment of Rs 2,000 while deliveries are slated to begin by the end of this month.
On the other hand, the Ather 450 attracts a price tag of Rs 1.13 Lakhs (Ex. Showroom, Bengaluru) and Rs 1.22 Lakhs (Ex. Showroom, Chennai). Both the companies are trying hard two expand the availability of scooters in other cities as well but given the already established network of Bajaj, it will have an upper-hand as far as reach to buyers is concerned.
Electric Motor & Range
Bajaj Chetak Electric is powered by a lithium ion battery which develops top power of 4.08kWh. The constant power flow stands at 3.8kWh. On the other hand, the Ather 450 has a maximum power output of 5.4kWh but the continuous power output stays a tad lower at 3.3kWh.
Though, as far as torque is concerned, Ather 450 leads with 20.5Nm against Chetak’s 16Nm. Bajaj claims that Chetak has a top speed of 60-65kmph which is lesser than Ather 450’s 80kmph. However, the higher constant power output of Chetak suggests that buyers will face less heating issues with it as compared to the Ather 450.
As for the driving range and charging time, Bajaj Chetak appears superior at least on paper. It comes with two riding modes – Eco & Sport – with driving range of 95kms and 85kms, respectively. It takes an hour’s time to charge the battery to upto 25 percent from scratch while full 100 percent charging time is 5 hours.
Coming to the Ather 450, it has a range of 75kms in the most efficient mode while it takes nearly five hours and thirty minutes to fully charge it from zero. Ather has big plans for setting up the charging infrastructure in select cities by installing Ather Grid – a fast-charging platform to charge the scooter even at coffee shops and shopping malls. Bajaj Chetak can presently only be charged by the cable supplied by the company.
Features
Both the scooters are well equipped with modern features. The Chetak flaunts a round LCD display which complements its overall retro look fairly well. It comes with Smartphone connectivity and can be accessed by the app. The app delivers various forms of infos such as navigation, tracking, battery condition and range, safety updates etc. to name.
Additionally, it also informs the rider if the battery is not charging properly or if there is movement in the vehicle despite being locked. Coming to the Ather 450, it comprises of an IP65 rated 7-inch touchscreen system that boasts of a drop down menu for all the information regarding the vehicle that a rider needs. Needless to mention, both the scooters come with reverse mode.
Though, Ather 450 still has an edge over the Chetak due to the inclusion of internet-enabled pre-installed SIM card which offers real-time GPS data. Bajaj is offering a data subscription package and it is free for the first year.