Ather Energy commissions second plant, to invest Rs 650 cr in 5 years

The firm sees 4x growth in bookings in the first seven months of the fiscal, claims to be the largest e-2 wheeler maker by value

Ather Energy has commissioned its second manufacturing facility in Hosur to cater to the growing demand of its electric scooters, the 450X and 450 Plus, the company said in a statement.  The company plans to manufacture 400,000 units per annum, a significant jump from its current capacity of 120,000 units. Ather Energy had set up its first manufacturing facility at Hosur earlier this year. With this capacity expansion, Ather is on its way to becoming the country's largest EV producer by next year, it claimed in a statement.

To fuel the exponential demand, Ather has outlined an investment of Rs650 crores in the next five years to enhance operational efficiency and production capacity. Apart from the EV manufacturing, the facility will also focus on lithium-ion battery manufacturing, which  the company has identified as its key focus area.

In October, Ather registered its best-ever monthly sales numbers, registering 12-fold growth over the last year and achieving the revenue run rate of $100 million  making it the largest EV maker by value in this segment.

“The EV demand has been shooting up across the country, and customers are coming in expecting electric scooters to wow them. This customer expectation is why our 450 series of electric scooters - the 450X and 450 Plus is seeing

massive demand as it is the best electric scooter in the country today, Tarun Mehta, Co-Founder & CEO, Ather Energy said.

Ather Energy's experience centres are  also scaling up rapidly, and its retail footprint is set to grow by six times in the coming quarters.  The company is operating at an optimal capacity just within just ten months of opening its current facility. The second plant will be ready for 2022.

The Hero MotoCorp backed has been registering 20 per cent month-on-month sales growth since November 2020, highlighting the strong demand for its electric scooters, it said adding that  Ather has recorded a 3x increase in walk-ins, web inquiries and test rides in the first seven months of the current fiscal and 4x growth in vehicle booking in the period.

Ather claims to be the only EV maker in India to make its battery packs and has filed 13 patents on the design and manufacturing of the li-ion batteries. The firm plans to strengthen its retail operations by expanding to new markets. The company plans to expand to about 150 experience centres in 100 cities by March 2023. It has also invested heavily in the charging infrastructure, it said in the statement.