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Why Ather Chose to Go It Alone, Despite Hero’s Backing

The company could have plugged into Hero MotoCorp’s 6,000 dealerships, decades of manufacturing scale, and entrenched vendor relationships, but chose not to.

By Ketan Thakkar & Kiran Murali

23 Apr 2025

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Why Ather Chose to Go It Alone, Despite Hero’s Backing

In an era when every EV startup seems eager to partner, license, or piggyback off legacy giants, Ather Energy is doing the opposite. Despite having Hero MotoCorp — the titan of India’s two-wheeler market — as a major shareholder, Ather has drawn a deliberate line between the investor and the operator: No shared tech, no joint retail, and no shortcuts.

For Tarun Mehta, Ather’s co-founder and CEO, this isn’t a rebellion—it’s strategy, a focused and fiercely independent one. At first glance, it seems counterintuitive. Why wouldn’t a young electric startup tap into Hero’s vast manufacturing muscle, dealer network, and ...

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