Ather Energy rolls out pothole alert feature to its Gen 2, above electric scooters

Electric two-wheeler maker Ather Energy on Wednesday announced the rollout of a pothole alert feature for its customers with Gen 2 and above scooters.

The feature alerts riders to potholes, broken road patches, uneven roads and speed breakers ahead while navigating, using road intelligence built from data generated by Ather's connected scooter fleet, Ather Energy said in a statement.

The 'Pothole+ Alerts' feature has been rolled out for customers with Gen 2 and above scooters, including the Ather 450 Apex, 450X and Rizta Z, it added.

In a post on X, Ather co-founder and CEO Tarun Mehta said the feature has been nearly nine years in the making.

"The challenge was never the idea. It was the data," he said.

Ather's growing connected fleet has now generated the scale of road intelligence needed to make the feature a reality, Mehta noted.

Every Ather scooter is equipped with onboard compute and connectivity, enabling the company to build large data sets over time and develop software-driven features for its customers, the company said.

When using navigation, riders will receive alerts for potholes, broken road sections, uneven surfaces and speed breakers ahead.

Notifications are displayed on the scooter dashboard and can also be heard through the scooter, Ather Halo smart helmet or any compatible Bluetooth headset, allowing riders to stay informed without taking their attention off the road, it added.