Bangalore based EV manufacturer Ather Energy is going big with its plans to set up India's biggest public charging infrastructure with Ather Grid. After having established itself in Bangalore and Chennai, the company now plans to enter 9 new markets, for which it will be setting up 135 public fast-charging stations. This along with the 37 stations in Bengaluru and 13 in Chennai will make it a total of 150 fast-charging stations spread across the country by December 2020
"Ather Grid has seen steady adoption in Bengaluru & Chennai and we believe that accessible charging infrastructure is critical before launching our products in any market we enter." commented, Ravneet Singh Phokela, Chief Business Officer.
While there are OEMs like Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor Company selling EVs, Ather Energy has decided to invest majorly on a public infrastructure to remove range anxiety amongst customers, one of the biggest challenges that EV manufacturers face. The company confirms that Ather Grid fast-charging network can be used by all-electric two-wheelers and electric four-wheelers and can charge the Ather 450X at 15 km in 10 minutes.
Ather Energy has signed MOUs with partners like VR Mall, PPZ mall management, restaurant and cafe chains like Little Italy, Blue Tokai, Chai Kings, retail outlets like Sangeetha mobiles, and now has access to more than 250 locations across the country. The installations of the Ather Grid Points will begin before deliveries of the Ather 450X in November 2020, stated the company in an official release.
Further, the company mentions, as part of Phase 1 of the rapid expansion, Ather Energy will install about 5-10 fast charging points before delivery in each of the new markets they are expanding to. It will continue to partner with more progressive hosts which can offer EV owners easy accessibility, curb range anxiety, and ease the adoption of electric vehicles in India. The Ather Grid is supported by the Ather Grid app which allows all EV owners to directly ascertain available and unavailable locations on the home screen. The application also has filters and information related to 4+wheeler friendly locations, availability of free and paid parking, location timings and more.
source https://www.firstpost.com/tech/auto-tech/ather-energy-to-set-up-150-public-fast-charging-stations-across-india-by-december-2020-8920101.html
