Smart electric scooter maker Ather Energy today announced the installation of the 580th public fast charging point, the Ather Grid, across 56 cities in India. The company plans to install 820 more grids, taking the count to 1,400 by the end of FY2023. 

At present, the company has India's largest fast-charging network for two-wheelers with Ather Grids strategically installed across markets, 60% of them in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

Since inception, Ather Energy has been building a robust 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 the 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 to adopt."

He 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+, Magenta Power, and signed an MoU with the government of Karnataka, to set up EV charging locations in various cities. It will continue to partner with more 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.