Ather Energy, one of India’s electric scootermanufacturers, today launched its family scooter, the Rizta, at the second edition of the Ather Community Day in Bengaluru. Designedand engineered as a scooter for the entire family, the Rizta prioritizescomfort, convenience, and safety. It comes with a host of new connectedfeatures to enhance the riding experience including features like SkidControlTMand WhatsApp on the dashboard. Competitively priced for the mass market, theRizta starts at INR. 1,09,999 (Ex-showroom Bengaluru).
The all-new Rizta will have 2 models and threevariants – Rizta S and Rizta Z with a 2.9 kWh battery and a top-end model RiztaZ with a 3.7 kWh. The 2.9 kWh variants will deliver a predicted IDC range of 123 kms and the 3.7 kWh variantwill deliver 160 kms. While Ather offers the Rizta S in 3 monotone colours, theRizta Z will be available in 7 colours which include 3 monotone and 4 dual tonecolours.
Tarun Mehta,Co-Founder & CEO, Ather Energy, said, “We entered the two-wheeler market with ourperformance scooter, the 450 series, which was recognised in the industry. Now,we are setting foot in the family segment with the Rizta, which has been designed and engineered with the Indian familyin mind. It focuses on key aspects such as comfort, safety and connected tech,which we believe makes it an upgrade from the conventional scooters in themarket. Rizta will reflect Ather’s proposition of quality, reliability, andsafety.”
Comfort andconvenience
AtherRizta aims to prioritize comfort and convenience, featuring the largest seat inits segment ensuring ample space for its users and a large floor board. Furthermore,the Rizta Z features a backrest for enhanced comfort by providing lumbarsupport for the pillion. With 56L storage space, including a 34L underseatcapacity, and an optional 22L Frunk accessory, Ather believes Rizta offers alarge storage space in the scooter market, making it easy to carry day-to-dayessentials. The underseat storage can also be fitted with an optionalmulti-purpose charger with an 18W power output,which can charge electronic devices such as phones, tablets, portable speakersand other similar devices.
Safety and ride handling
Overthe years, Ather has been committed to improving the safety standard fortwo-wheeler riders by launching multiple features. With Rizta, Ather introducesthe SkidControl™. This is Ather’s proprietary traction control system thatseamlessly controls motor torque to mitigate the loss of traction while acceleratingon low friction surfaces such as patches of road with gravel, sand, water, oroil. [This has been enabled by the in-house developed motor control system, Ather Drive Controller™ (ADC™).
Additionalsafety features, such as FallSafeTM,Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Theft & Tow Detect, and Find My Scooter whichwere previously seen on Ather’s 450 series of scooters, too are integrated intothe Ather Rizta.
All three variants come with a top speed of 80kmph and two riding modes – Zip and SmartEco. Moreover, ride assist featuressuch as MagicTwistTM, AutoHoldTM, and Reverse Mode, whichwere integrated in the 450 series are also present in the Rizta.
The Riztacarries over the same philosophy as the 450 series including its low center of gravity,balanced weight distribution from front to rear, and equal balance on bothsides, allowing precise control regardless of the rider's level of skills orprevalent riding conditions. The Rizta is easy to manoeuvre given its shorter1286mm wheelbase.
AtherStack 6.0
Ather also rolled out AtherStack 6.0, the latestupgrade to its software stack. AtherStack powers all the experiences onAther Scooters It is built on various interconnectedlayers of software, firmware, system algorithms. The latest update brings ahost of new features and experiences to the scooters including a new mobileapp, integration with Whatsapp on the Ather dashboard, live location sharing,ping my scooter, auto reply to calls and Alexa integration. Existing Atherowners will also get AtherStack 6.0 as an over the air update with some ofthese features.
“AtherStackhas been an integral part of our product strategy since the launch of our firstscooter, allowing us to constantly enhance our product experience. With newfeatures like Whatsapp on the dashboard, live location sharing and voicecommands, we believe Ather Stack 6.0 will bring an important upgrade to ridersafety, convenience and connectivity. Optimising the touchscreen dashboard andrevamping the mobile app will offer a seamless ownership experience to bothRizta and Ather 450 customers” added Swapnil Jain, Co-founder& CTO of Ather Energy.With WhatsApp onthe dashboard, the rider can now read their most recent messages on thedashboard when the scooter is at a standstill, essentially eliminating thehassle of checking their phones during their ride. The new ‘Ping my scooterfeature’ gives Ather owners the ability to find their scooter amidst a sea ofother two-wheelers with the help of loud audio and visual cues, which can beactivated with the tap of a button on the new Ather App. Another new feature inAtherStack 6.0 is the integration of Alexa Smart Assistant, which comes withover 50 prompts available in both English and Hindi. Riders can accessinformation like the current charge status, last parked location, tripfeasibility, push navigation and more with just a voice command. Live locationsharing is another new safety feature that allows a rider to share theirlocation while on the move, to a preset contact. The all-new mobile app bringsa more personalised and seamless experience to Ather customers. Along with anew interface, the app brings a new feature named WidgetX, that provides theuser with contextual information on the home screen. The app also provides detailed insights into their ride history,savings due to switching to EV and commemorates various milestones.All three variants come with Ather’s 5 year optionalwarranty program, ‘Ather Battery Protect’, that extends battery warranty to 5years/60,000 kms.This warranty program not only covers battery failures butalso guarantees a minimum of 70% state-of-health for the battery at the end of5 years. For home charging, the Rizta S and Rizta Z with a 2.9kWh battery comewith a 350W Ather portable charger and the top end Rizta Z with 3.7 kWh batterycomes with a 700W new Ather Duo charger. Rizta owners will also have access toAther’s comprehensive fast-charging network, with 1800+ fast charging points. Bookingsare now open for the Ather Rizta, and deliveries will commencestarting June2024. The Ather Rizta S with 2.9 kWh will be priced at INR 1,09,999 lakh(ex-showroom Bengaluru). The Ather RiztaZ with 2.9 kWh and Rizta with 3.7 kWh will be available at INR 124,999 and INR 144,999 ex-showroom Bengaluru.
