Ather launches real-time pothole alert feature for Gen 2, newer electric scooters

Electric two-wheeler maker Ather Energy has begun rolling out a pothole alert feature for its customers with Gen 2 and above scooters.

The 'Pothole+ Alerts' feature will allow riders to receive real-time warnings about potholes, uneven roads, broken patches and speed breakers using data gathered from its connected scooter fleet.

Ather Energy Co-founder and CEO Tarun Mehta said the feature, first showcased at the company's Community Day event last year, has started reaching customers with Gen 2 and newer scooters, including the 450 Apex, 450X and Rizta Z.

According to Mehta, the feature has been in development for nearly nine years but required a sufficiently large connected fleet to generate the data needed for accurate road intelligence.

"Every Ather ships with onboard compute and connectivity. Over time that connectivity has allowed us to build large data sets and build features for our owners on top of those. Pothole+ is probably the best implementation of that yet," he said.

The feature uses fleet data collected from lakhs of connected scooters travelling on the same roads to identify potholes, damaged road surfaces, uneven stretches and speed bumps.

When using navigation, riders will receive visual alerts on the scooter's dashboard and audio notifications through the vehicle.

Alerts are also available through Ather's Halo smart helmet or a connected Bluetooth headset.

Mehta said that while navigation has traditionally focused on finding the fastest route, the technology could eventually help riders choose the smoothest route based on road quality.

“But the more exciting part is what comes next,” Mehta said. “Pothole+ Alerts are just the beginning. We are going to build a ton more on top of this data set!”

Hero MotoCorp, the largest shareholder in Ather Energy, recently announced plans to invest up to ₹1,000 crore more in the electric vehicle maker.

Hero MotoCorp's board approved the additional investment on July 14 through a preferential issue of equity shares or other eligible convertible securities, subject to regulatory approvals.

As of June 30, 2026, Hero MotoCorp held a 29.48% stake in Ather Energy on a fully diluted basis.