Electric scooter manufacturer said it has installed its 580th public fast charging point—the Ather Grid—across 56 cities in India. As the company expands its footprint nationally, Ather Energy plans to install 820 more such points, taking the count to 1,400 by the end of FY23.
The company said Ather Grid has been strategically installed across markets, with 60% of current installations in Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
Since its inception, Ather Energy has been building a charging ecosystem to support the growth of the EV industry and facilitate a hassle-free transition to EVs. The Ather Grid allows EV owners to charge their vehicles up to 80% at 1.5 km/min.
The charging network is supported by Ather Grid app which allows all EV owners to locate and check the availability of the nearest charging stations in real-time. The fast charging network can be used by all electric two-wheelers and electric four-wheelers, and this facility is being offered free of charge to everyone till the end of December 2022.
Commenting on the milestone, Ravneet Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy, said, “It has been our endeavour since inception to build accessible charging infrastructure, in order to fast-track EV adoption. As demand grows and we expand our retail network into new markets, it becomes imperative that we support the expansion with strong investments in charging infrastructure.”
“In addition to setting up charging points, we recently opened up our proprietary charging connector for any OEM (original equipment manufacturer) to adopt,” he further added. “We believe that OEMs need to collaborate when it comes to building infrastructure, and interoperability is a critical requirement for collaboration. Interoperability through a common charging connector provides an incentive to OEMs and independent charging infrastructure operators to make deeper investments in charging infrastructure. On our part, we stay committed to scaling up Ather Grid, and to work with other OEMs to build a scalable and interoperable charging ecosystem”
Ather Energy has partnered with multiple players like Park+ and Magenta Power, and signed MoU with the Karnataka government to set up EV charging locations in various cities. Ather Energy will continue to partner with more progressive hosts which can offer EV owners easy accessibility, curb range anxiety, and ease the adoption of electric vehicles. Ather Energy is also working with Co-operative Housing Societies and Owners’ Associations to help Ather owners in setting up home charging solutions in their apartments and buildings.
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