Ather Energy has introduced a new OTA update (Atherstack Cylon) for its 450X and 450 Plus electric scooters that consists of a new ‘SmartEco’ mode. The mode has been designed to enable riders to extract the electric scooter’s true range while reducing the impact on available performance.
While the current ride modes – Eco, Ride, Sport and Warp – limit the acceleration and maximum speed of the scooter, SmartEco mode “regulates the amount of power available to you by dynamically adjusting your maximum acceleration.” The adjustments are made after assessing factors such as riding styles, road conditions and whether you are riding solo or with a pillion.
In essence, SmartEco is like the midway mode between Eco and Ride. At present, the Eco mode is quite restrictive in the performance on offer, as it’s designed to extract maximum range. However, this limits acceleration at times when one wants to overtake, especially while climbing a flyover. The SmartEco mode, in such a scenario, will offer the required performance by dynamically adjusting the acceleration without the need to switch to a faster mode like Ride or Sport.
Further aiding the rider is a power bar that’s been added to the right hand corner of the screen. It indicates how efficient you’ve been and how much power is available. Keeping the bar in the blue zone by accelerating gradually denotes the scooter is being ridden in an efficient manner and is on course to meet the True range target. When the blue bar lowers and turns red, it indicates that the ride efficiency is low and so is the available power. In this scenario, Ather suggests to not try and overtake or better still, switch to a faster mode to accelerate freely. On a side note, Ather suggests that probability of achieving True range is highest when the rider is alone in SmartEco mode, and the ride is for at least 10km.
This new OTA update is being rolled out gradually and will be available to all Ather owners soon.
