Ather Energy strengthens retail presence, opens 3rd centre in OMR

CHENNAI: Electric scooter manufacturer Ather Energy has announced the launch of its third experience centre, Ather Space in Chennai, to strengthen its retail operations in the State.

The expansion is driven by the strong consumer demand for the Ather 450X and 450 Plus electric scooters in the city, as per a release.

The new Experience Center was launched in association with Pillai Auto. The Ather Space is designed to educate customers about electric vehicles in a holistic manner.

Ravneet S Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy, said, “Tamil Nadu has emerged as a hub of EV manufacturing in India and Chennai is one of the key markets for Ather in the State. The launch of the improved Gen 3 scooters is aimed at targeting a larger consumer base .”

Ganesh Ranjan, Director Pillai Auto said “Chennai being one of the earliest markets for Ather, we see great interest in Ather products in the market and anticipate high consumer demand in the coming months."

Ather Energy has a long history with the state and has continued to invest strategically to create a favourable ecosystem for EVs in TN. In 2019, Ather opened its first experience centre in Chennai, and in 2021, the brand started its operations at the Hosur manufacturing facility, catering to demand from across the country.

Ather also has commissioned its second factory space in Hosur and plans to manufacture 400,000 units per annum.

The company has invested in enhancing the public charging infrastructure in the state, installing 50+ Ather Grids, Ather’s charging network.

There are currently 33 Ather Grids in Chennai with plans to add more across the city to strengthen the charging network.

Ather Energy now has 49 retail outlets in 38 cities. The company intends to expand to 100 cities with 150 experience centres by March 2023.

Incidentally, Ather completed the Series E round of funding by signing investment agreements amounting to $128 million with NIIFL and Hero MotoCorp.