Ather Energy’s 450Xs to Hit Roads in 10 Cities from Diwali 2020

Ather Energy, the smart electric two wheeler makers announced the deliveries of their flagship scooter Ather 450X, one of the quickest scooters in the 125cc category to begin from November 2020.

The Bengaluru based startup confirmed that by Q1 of 2021, the scooters will be seen on roads across all the ten cities announced earlier this year, i.e. Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Kolkata, and Coimbatore. The deliveries will begin in a phased manner beginning with Bengaluru and Chennai first and then the rest of the cities.

“The pandemic did disrupt our timelines by a few months, but we have been able to get back on track with our plans. We used the time to refine our expansion plan and get the ball rolling on our go-to-market strategy. We have also been working very actively with our supplier partners to ensure minimal disruption in the supply chain. The excitement and the wait has been too long now we can’t wait to get started,” Tarun Mehta, Co-founder and CEO, Ather Energy, said in a statement.

Experience Centres and Ather Grid

The startup plans to gather consumer feedback on the scooter through an aggressive promotion plan on-ground, for which it will begin test rides starting October across all the markets.

They are also partnering with premium partners across key markets to set up the experience centres. They will also be setting up their own fast-charging network, Ather Grid, for public charging across each city before delivery, so new owners have a hassle-free experience once the vehicle has been delivered. Plans are to set up 10-15 fast charging points across each city in Phase 1.

“We will soon share more information on our dealer network and Ather Grid points across each city. The demand has been phenomenal, and we are sure with different ownership and purchase models that we will introduce, it will help consumers make the shift to electric with ease. Exciting times ahead,” said Mehta.

With 38 charging points in Bengaluru and 14 charging points in Chennai, Ather Grid is one of the largest fast-charging networks for electric vehicles in the country.

Entry into Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad

Founded in 2013 by IIT Madras alumni, Tarun Mehta, and Swapnil Jain, Ather Energy is backed by the founders of Flipkart -Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal- Hero Motocorp and Tiger Global.

The company’s product line has won 30 awards in design, automotive and technology categories. It also has over 51 patent applications, 113 trademarks and 123 design registrations to its name.

It currently operates in Bengaluru and Chennai and with the current move will expand to eight more cities including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad.

Navanwita Bora Sachdev

Navanwita is the editor of The Tech Panda who also frequently publishes stories in news outlets such as The Indian Express, Entrepreneur India, and The Business Standard