In a big boost to PM Modi’s Make In India program, Hero MotoCorp backed electric two-wheeler maker Ather Energy on Friday said it would invest INR 635 crores over the next five years to scale up the production in its EV manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu.
Ather Energy started operations at its new 1,23,000 sq ft production facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu starting 2nd January 2021. The company emphasized the ‘Make in India’ vision of the country as it claims to have 90 percent of the manufacturing of Ather Energy products is localized, including the battery pack which is made by Ather Energy only. The plant has an annual capacity of 1.1 lakh scooters and 1.2 lakh battery packs.
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“It’s been a great journey for us so far, and the opening of this facility is truly a milestone for Ather. The consumer demand has increased by multiple folds, and with us expanding to new markets, this state-of-the-art facility will cater to demand across the country,” Ather Energy CEO and Co-founder Tarun Mehta said.
Apart from the EV manufacturing, the facility will also focus on lithium-ion battery manufacturing, which is a crucial area of focus for Ather Energy going ahead, the company said, adding it has earmarked “investment of Rs 635 crore over next five years”.
The company says that 4,000 employees will be trained over the next 5 years. The new Hosur manufacturing facility is built on Industry 4.0 principles and the team at Ather Energy is also working towards making the factory ‘Smart’ by authorizing Smart algorithms to read the data collected and also make meaningful interpretations. Ather Energy has filed 13 patents on the design and manufacturing of Li-ion batteries. The 2.9 kWh battery on the Ather 450X electric scooter uses 21700 type Li-ion cells that offer a high energy density, charge, and discharge rates enabling fast charging and high performance.
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Ather Energy already has over 103 charging points across 12 Indian cities. The company has experience centres in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Chennai. Ather has also installed a comprehensive public charging network called Ather Grid. The scooters also come with a home charger — Ather Dot.
It has already confirmed deliveries and presence across 27 cities in 15 states and these are Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Kolkata, Calicut, Ahmedabad, Mysore, Kochi, Hubli, Jaipur, Indore, Panaji, Bhubaneshwar, Surat, Chandigarh, Vijayawada, Nasik, Visakhapatnam, Guwahati, Nagpur, Noida, Lucknow, and Siliguri. It is likely to expand to 40 cities by the end of 2021, the company added. It currently manufactures two electric scooters namely 450 Plus and the 450X that are priced at Rs 1.39 lakh and Rs 1.59 lakh respectively.
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