Ather Energy is ramping up Ather Grid, its proprietary charging network, with an aim of setting up India’s biggest public charging infrastructure. Phase I of this charging network expansion will include setting up fast-charging stations in 135 locations by the end of this calendar year.
Ather Energy wants to open sales outlets in 9 new cities by the first quarter of next year, and before it does that, it wants to have a basic charging infrastructure ready for customers. The company says that installing accessible charging infrastructure before conducting a product launch in new markets “is critical.” Currently, the company is present in only Bengaluru and Chennai, where it has 37 and 13 fast-charging stations respectively. The installation of the fast-charging stations would increase the total Ather Grid location count to 150.
.@atherenergy @tarunsmehta We need more ATHER GRID at Chennai 😀 pic.twitter.com/fj98bwjPij
— Vinoth Cj (@vinothcj_) September 6, 2020
Ather Energy is taking a Tesla-like approach towards charging infrastructure. However, unlike the American company, it is offering its proprietary charging infrastructure to other EV owners. A non-Ather Energy EV, including four-wheelers, can use the Ather Grid. A ten-minute charge at the Ather Grid can provide the Ather 450X a range of 15 km, which should be enough to reach the final destination (home or office) where a customer parks the electric vehicle for charging.
Ather Grid charging cost
Ather says that the cost of charging is Rs. 35 per for a 30-minute period for electric two wheelers and the same at Rs. 75 for electric cars. For Ather customers who haven’t opted for the Ather Charge or Ather One plan, the cost of charging the Ather electric scooter at Ather Grid points is a flat fee of Rs. 20 for 30 minutes.
Having partnered with many named-brands, Ather Energy has access to more than 250 locations in India for setting up the Ather Grid. Under the first phase of the charging network expansion, it will install 5-10 fast-charging points before beginning deliveries in all the new markets. By 2022, Ather Energy wants to set up 6,500 charging points to offer easy charging accessibility to EV owners and curb range anxiety, and also quicken EV adoption in the country.
Below are some of the new locations where Ather Energy will open Ather Grid soon:
| City | Ather Grid Location | |
| 1 | Bengaluru (Existing locations) | Forum Malls, Orion Mall, Cafe Azzure, Phoenix Market City, Go Native, Sangeetha Mobiles |
| 2 | Chennai | VR Chennai, Varsha Jewellers, Sangeetha Mobiles, Chai Kings, SPR Food Street, Mash Resto Café |
| 3 | Hyderabad | Almond House, Sarath City Capital Mall, The Moonshine Project, Swiss Castle, Chai Kahani |
| 4 | Pune | Kalyan Bhel, Little Italy, Kalinga Restaurant, Copacabana, Bliss Bakery Cafe, Hotel KBs Woodland, Eat & Repeat Café |
| 5 | Kochi | French Toast, Centre Square Mall, Mash Resto Cafe |
| 6 | Coimbatore | Sangeetha Mobiles, Chai Kings |
| 7 | Kozhikode | Sixth Avenue Cafe, DR. Cafe, Bun Club |
| 8 | Kolkata | Milee Droog Cafe Bistro, Cafe by the lane |
| 9 | Ahmedabad | Sangeetha Mobiles, Little Italy, Royal Orchid |
| 10 | Mumbai | Blue Tokai |
| 11 | Delhi-NCR | Blue Tokai, Vegas Mall, Pacific Mall, Pacific D21 Mall |
Ather Energy will start selling the Ather 450X electric scooter in 11 cities across India by Q1 2021, with deliveries beginning next month. Delivery of the Ather 450X electric scooter will first begin in Bengaluru and Chennai, where it already has showrooms. Besides that, it will also start deliveries in cities like Hyderabad, Pune, Kochi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad the same month. In December, Ather Energy will start delivering the 450X to the customers in Mumbai and Delhi.
The company will then expand deliveries of the electric scooter to the customers in Coimbatore and Kozhikode, sometime between January and March 2021. It has planned to honour early adopters by giving them access to the Ather 450X Series1 which comes with special body changes.
The Ather 450X is powered by a 2.9 kWh battery pack clubbed with a 6 kW motor, which delivers 26 Nm of torque output. The scooter can accelerate to 0-40 km/h in 3.29 seconds and the riding range is 85 km.
The Ather 450X is priced at Rs 1.59 lakh in Bengaluru (Inclusive of GST and FAME II incentive) and the Ather 450 Plus is priced at Rs 1.49 lakh in Bengaluru (Inclusive of GST and FAME II incentive).
![Ather 450X delivery updates shared for all cities across India [Update]](https://electricvehicleweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Ather-450X-front-three-quarters-test-ride-350x233.jpg)