Ather Energy to set up new EV Manufacturing Plant in Tamil Nadu

Ather Energy has signed an MoU with the Tamil Nadu government for a 4 lakh square feet electric vehicle manufacturing facility

Bengaluru-based EV startup Ather Energy has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government for a 4 lakh square feet electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing facility.

The startup had previously announced its plans to expand to 30 cities in the next few years and this MoU will help scale up production plans for the same. The built-up factory will be located in Hosur, Tamil Nadu and is supported by the state government under its EV Policy. The MoU comes on the heels of a big push for electric two-wheelers by the state and central governments with an updated Faster Adoption of Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles (FAME) scheme, GST reduction, and benefits for taxpayers on loans for electric two-wheeler purchase.

The new facility will also cater to the firms’ lithium-ion battery manufacturing which is a key area of focus for the company going ahead. The investment is an opportunity for value creation in the sector and will create job opportunities for the region. More than 4,000 employees will be trained in requisite skills in the EV sector as a part of this initiative over the next 5 years.

The firm has also been investing in setting up fast-charging infrastructure in Bangalore and Chennai. At present, Chennai has 10 fast charging points and more will be added in the coming months. Post the success in the two cities, Ather is gearing up to launch in Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi and Mumbai in the coming year.

Tarun Mehta, CEO, Ather Energy said that Ather is rapidly scaling up and that it needs to expand its production capacity to meet the growing demand. The new unit will help it meet the demand for the next few years across the country.

“Tamil Nadu has been a hub for automobile manufacturing, and they have been working closely with us in their effort to build an EV ecosystem.  A manufacturing facility at Hosur was an ideal choice considering that it is close to our R&D facilities in Bengaluru and most of the existing and potential future supply base is operating in the region. The availability of a built-up option of our desired scale and proximity helped in the decision making,” he said.