EV companies are quickly veering around to the view that the faster they help improve the charging infrastructure the better it will help in easy adoption of EVs. So many big names are working out partnerships with charging companies. Ather Energy is no different. Its public fast-charging network is called Ather Grid 2.0. It has already signed an MoU with Karnataka, committing itself to 1,000 Ather fast chargers across the State.
And now, Ather has signed an MoU with EV Charge Point Operator Magenta ChargeGrid to install Ather Grid for electric two-wheelers across locations in the country. The partnership will basically give Ather access to Magenta ChargeGrid’s multiple locations across India. Magenta ChargeGrid is currently expanding its charging network to 35-40 cities in India with the aim of setting up a network of around 11000 chargers by the end of FY23.
Ather Grid at strategic locations
Thanks to this partnership, Ather Grid will be available on premium locations across Tier I, Tier II & Tier III cities and highways in India. These locations are strategically placed to make it easily accessible to EV owners and will also have desired electricity load availability for operations of the chargers, the company said in a statement.
Nilay Chandra, VP-Charging Infrastructure and Marketing, said: "The charging infrastructure category is fast evolving, and we understand that collaboration with other charge point operators at this stage will help the industry grow at an exponential scale. Our partnership with Magenta is another step towards building this industry collaboration. It will bring increased convenience by setting up AtherGrids at hubs strategically identified by them."
Maxson Lewis, Founder and Managing Director, Magenta said: "This collaborative approach with Ather Energy, shall further our vision and allow consumers to access our network of smart and safe charging stations across the country and encourage a seamless EV adoption. This partnership approach will not just help Ather and other OEM players to rapidly scale their network but also help them to optimise the investment required."
Ather has already partnered with charging operators like Zeon Charging and retail partners like Decathlon, Cafe Coffee Day, Blue Tokai etc and 15 other brands. Ather Energy working on building a fast-charging network - Ather Grid and has also released its IP for the charging connector to all OEMs.
Ather Energy – the company behind Ather 450 and 450X electric scooters - has ramped up its production capacity by more than a hundred per cent. It has plans to increase its annual production capacity to one million scooters from 4 lakh by the end of 2022, as well as install 5,000 fast chargers across India.
To this end, the company has got up a new EV manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, adjacent to its first production facility that was commissioned early last year. Currently, Ather has installed around 330+ fast-charging Ather Grid Points across 35 cities in the country. Users can charge up to 80% at 1.5 km/min at Ather’s fast charging Grid.
