Electric mobility solutions provider Ather Energy has announced that the brand will be installing Ather Grid charging stations in more 135 locations before December 2020 to improve the charging ecosystem and reduce the range anxiety of the customer. The brand intends to introduce itself across 9 new markets in India and it has already finalized setting up 135 public fast-charging stations. The brand currently has 37 fast-charging stations in Bengaluru and 13 in Chennai.
The move to further install new fast-charging stations across the country makes Ather one of the few companies in the Indian market to offer its contribution towards building a viable ecosystem in the country. While other OEMs have only launched electric scooters in the Indian market Ather has taken its commitment one step further by also providing the customer with a fast-charging option around the country. Furthermore, Ather Grid fast-charging network can be used by all-electric two-wheelers and electric four-wheelers along with the Ather e-scooters.
The brand has also announced that it 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 have access to more than 250 locations across the country. The brand will be installing 5 to 10 Ather Grid points in each market before it begins deliveries of the Ather 450X, as part of the phase1. Ather Energy targets to set-up 6500 charging points across the country by 2022.
The Ather Grid is supported by Ather Grid App which allows EV owners to check for available and unavailable charging stations, availability of free and paid parking, location timings, 4-wheeler friendly locations etc.
The Ather 450X with a fast-charging system can be charged at the rate of 1.5 km per minute (0-50% SOC), giving the e-scooter 15km of range with just 10 minutes of charge, 0-80% SOC (Home Charging) can be achieved in 3 hours 35 minutes and 0-100% (Home Charging) in 5 hours 45 minutes.