Scooters, Always #3: Battery Under the Floor — What the Ather Konarc Is Trying to Save

Last time I wrote about packing for a camping trip on a 125cc scooter. Under the seat, I said, is outer space. Ever since I wrote that, one thing has refused to leave my head: when scooters go electric, where does that space go? Most electric scooters put the battery under the seat. Of course they do — it's the biggest, flattest volume on the machine. But the moment you fill that space with cells, I've always felt, a scooter stops being a scooter. A vehicle that can't carry anything isn't something I can call a daily runner. I hold a full motorcycle licence, but every machine I own is a scooter. The reason is simple: things fit on them. Shopping bags, rain gear, a book due back tomorrow — a vehicle that won't take those won't take your life either.

So: August 29. India's Ather Energy will unveil a new scooter, the Konarc, at Ather Community Day 2026. It's the first production model on the company's new EL-01 platform, an architecture said to accommodate battery packs from 2 kWh up to 5 kWh. Pricing is expected to land between Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 1,25,000 ex-showroom, and reports suggest a Battery-as-a-Service option — renting the pack monthly instead of buying it — may be offered to bring the entry cost down. The wheels are alloy, 14 inches front and 12 inches rear. There's a seven-inch TFT display with smartphone connectivity. Rivals include the Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube, Ampere Nexus and Hero Vida VX2. In short, this isn't a sharp-edged sport EV. It's aimed squarely at being the family's ride. Just look at that rival list to see how large scooters loom in India's two-wheeler market: Chetak is Bajaj, iQube is TVS, Vida is Hero — every established motorcycle maker has stepped into this ring. Ather, a pure-play startup, is placing its bet on the affordable end of it.

So — is there room under the seat? That's the question I always ask. According to reports, the Konarc lays its battery under the floorboard, the deck where your feet go. That frees up the space beneath the seat, which is expected to swallow something like two half-face helmets. The motor sits on the swingarm rather than inside the wheel, reportedly derived from the 450X series but retuned for easy city manners rather than acceleration. Now for my opinion. That packaging decision is bigger than any number on the spec sheet. Laying the pack flat under the floor means somebody ranked "the shopping bag and the helmet fit" above "squeeze out one more kilometer of range." You can't arrive at that order of priorities unless you've watched what an Indian family actually carries on that scooter every morning. As I wrote last time, a tent and a sleeping bag go under the seat of a 125. Two half-face helmets is less than that. But "it fits despite being electric" and "it's roomier than petrol" are different claims, and the one I'm crediting here is the first. Putting the pack under the floor also lowers the centre of gravity. Walking it around, putting a foot down at the lights, carrying a passenger — those are the moments where it tells. This was never about top speed.

Honestly, there's some sadness in it too. What I still take out on a long weekend is a small-displacement petrol scooter. Start it, wait for it to warm through, and ease up into the hills. I won't be giving that up any time soon. When people want to talk about speed I always say I'll take it slow — but electrification is the one subject where hope and sadness arrive in equal measure. Still, this much I'll say: the essence of a scooter isn't quietness or acceleration, it's whether everything today's errands require will fit on it. India, this year, is where electric power finally came at that question head-on. And one more word on Battery-as-a-Service. Renting the pack monthly instead of owning it still doesn't sit easily with someone like me, who keeps a machine for ten or twenty years. But for the person deciding whether to commit a lakh of rupees to their morning commute, a lower entry cost probably comes first. That isn't a place for me to impose my own feelings. On August 29 I'll be watching the reveal. And if the real thing ever reaches Japan, I already know what I'll do. Swing a leg over, and open the seat first. That part doesn't change, petrol or electric.