Ather Energy Details Tamil Nadu Expansion Plan, Will Set Up 150 Fast-Charging Grids Across State

Ather Energy on Sunday said it has drawn up plans to set up 150 fast-charging grids in Tamil Nadu by the end of the current financial year. The electric two-wheeler maker recently inaugurated its first experience centre in Salem under its move to expand retail footprint in the state. With the inauguration of the experience centre, Ather Energy has nine retail stores in Tamil Nadu.

"There are plans to expand its retail footprint to 15 stores and add 150 fast-charging grids in the state by the end of current financial year," the company said in a statement.

"Ather Energy has experienced an encouraging response from across the state for its scooters. With a high rate of EV adoption and growing acceptance for high-end electric two wheelers, Tamil Nadu is an important market for Ather Energy," chief business officer Ravneet Singh Phokela said.

"We have created an electric vehicle that is efficient, high quality and reliable from the ground up and have invested strategically in the infrastructure needed to support it. We have been expanding rapidly to fulfil the demand for the new and improved Ather 450X and have some exciting plans for Tamil Nadu," he said.

Tamil Nadu has emerged as a high demand market for electric scooters with Ather Energy registering a 49 percent quarter-on-quarter growth. The ex-showroom price after the FAME-II revision for the Ather 450X Gen 3 is Rs 1.58 lakh while the Ather 450 Plus Gen 3 costs Rs 1.36 lakh, Ather said.

Earlier this month, Mahindra announced that it had tied up with three electric vehicle infrastructure partners — Jio-bp, Statiq, and Charge+Zone — to offer charging solutions for its upcoming range of passenger electric vehicles. With these partnerships, Mahindra EV users will get seamless access to a robust fast charging infrastructure and e-mobility solutions spanning across discovery, availability, navigation and transactions, according to the Mumbai-based automaker.