Ather Energy, Karnataka ESCOMs to Set Up 1,000 E2W Charging Stations

A Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) was signed between electric two-wheeler maker Ather Energy and Electric Supply Companies (ESCOMs) of Karnataka in the presence of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday for setting up 1,000 fast-charging stations across the state.

The ESCOMs would be the nodal agency to provide all technical support and government agencies would coordinate with them to share their available spaces for the charging stations, a release by CMO said.

Ather Energy will provide free charging services for the electric two-wheeler vehicles, it said.

The MoU was signed by Managing Director, CEO and co-founder of Ather Energy Tarun Mehta and BESCOM (Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited) Managing Director Rajendra Cholan.

The year 2021 proved to be quite eventful for Bangalore-headquartered Ather Energy, with the company making many an announcement of expansion and growth.

In February, the E2W startup started its new 4 lakh square feet manufacturing plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, as well as revealed its plans to make an investment worth Rs 635 crores over the next five years to scale up production in the Hosur plant.

In April, the company announced the setting up of its fast-charging network Ather Grid in Mumbai, Maharashtra, in collaboration with startup Park+, the firm having already brought online 10 charging points across various key locations in the city with a further 30 such points expected by the following year.

In July, Ather inaugurated a new experience center (retail outlet) —its 10th one in the country— in Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi, to make available Ather 450X, its main offering, and Ather 450 plus to test ride and purchase, providing a unique ownership experience along with service and support for customers.

In August, the company unveiled plans to soon offer its proprietary charging connector to other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for their two-wheelers, aiming to pave the way for an interoperable two-wheeler fast charging platform in the country. 

In November, the firm launched “the next generation of public fast-charging infrastructure.” Ather Grid 2.0 builds on the existing generation of Ather Grid with enhanced features to support scale and future faster charging capability, said the company, adding that installations had already begun in Bangalore and Chennai. The firm also commissioned its second manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, to cater to the growing demand of for its electric scooters.

Additionally, just last month, Ather announced that it would receive investments worth Rs 420 crores from Hetro MotorCop.