As the demand for electric vehicles in the country is gradually increasing, Ather Energy – the company behind Ather 450 and 450X electric scooters - has ramped up its production capacity by more than a hundred per cent.
The company has commissioned a new EV manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, adjacent to its first production facility that was commissioned earlier this year. The new production facility with a capacity of 280,000 scooters per year and along with the current facility that maxes at 120,000 vehicles, the company aims to make 400,000 scooters cumulatively.
It has been reported that Ather has experienced 12-fold growth in recent months and is currently the largest EV maker by value in its segment.
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Apart from EVs, this facility will also make battery packs for the company’s two-wheelers. In fact, Ather is the only EV maker in the country that produces its battery packs. In fact, the company has filed 13 patents on the design and manufacturing of the li-ion batteries.
Readers would recall that the company has been increasing its presence across the country at a rapid pace. Once limited to only Bengaluru, Ather is present across most Indian states right now and plans to expand to around 150 Experience Centers in 100 cities by March 2023.
Its founder and CEO, Tarun Mehta is upbeat about the expansion pace and said that Ather’s “retail footprint is set to grow by six times in the coming quarters. So, within just ten months of opening our current facility, we find ourselves already operating at full capacity.”
EV market at an all-time high in India
Over the last year, Ather has registered an uptick of 20% in month-on-month sales numbers. Of course, this growth isn't just limited to Ather. The EV market as a whole has grown substantially in the country thanks to the improving infrastructure, rising awareness and fuel prices that touched an all-time high.
With the arrival of players like Revolt Motors, Ola Electric and Simple Energy in the premium segment and Okinawa, Bounce, Ampere etc. at the affordable end of the electric two-wheeler market, the industry is poised for sustained growth.
Similar sentiments have been echoed by the electric car segment which, led by Tata Nexon, has registered an over 234% growth in six months of April to September 2021.
However, looking at the actual market size, this seems to be just the tip of the iceberg. We still need conventional brands like Honda, Suzuki, Maruti etc to introduce affordable electric vehicles in the market to make a sizeable impact on the environment and help reduce transportation costs.
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