Ather Energy expands Guj retail biz; starts 1st experience centre in Surat

The new experience centre will be the brand's second retail outlet in Gujarat. The expansion is driven by strong consumer demand for the Ather 450X and 450 Plus electric scooters in the State

Ather Energy, India’s first intelligent electric scooter manufacturer, on Tuesday inaugurated its new retail outlet–Ather Space at Vesu, Surat. The new experience centre will be the brand’s second retail outlet in Gujarat, after the first in Ahmedabad earlier this year. The expansion is driven by the strong consumer demand for the Ather 450X and 450 Plus electric scooters in the State.

"The response from Gujarat has been phenomenal since the opening of our Ahmedabad experience centre in January. Consumers have evolved and are now aware of the benefits of going electric, and expect electric scooters to offer excellent riding and ownership experience,” said Ravneet Singh Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy. “This has led to a significant demand for Ather’s 450X and 450 Plus scooters, as they are currently India’s best electric scooters on offer. To cater to growing consumer demand in Gujarat, we are planning to expand to more cities, as we continue to see more customers in the state shifting to electric scooters.”

Ather Energy has witnessed a significant surge in demand in the state of Gujarat, nearly 8 fold, since the launch of the Ahmedabad store and post-state subsidy. The store in Surat will enable customers to get their hands on their favourite Ather scooter from a convenient location in the city. The experience centre is a dynamic, tactile and interactive space. The store aims to educate customers about every aspect of the vehicle and witness the engineering and mechanical efforts that go into each Ather scooter. People in Surat can book test ride slots on the company’s website before visiting the experience centre to experience riding a connected & intelligent scooter. The Experience Centre has been opened in partnership with Kataria Group.

“We are proud to be associated with Ather Energy as a Retail Partner in Surat after Ahmedabad,” said Dharmendra Mishra, executive director, Kataria Group. “We are overwhelmed by customers' response in the last one year in our experience center of Ahmedabad and our commitment for EVs grows further. We look forward to welcoming and delivering the best in class buying experience to electric two-wheelers evangelists of Surat and south Gujarat.”

Ather Energy said it is one of the few OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) who also invests in building a charging infrastructure. The company has installed 2 fast-charging points, Ather Grid, in Surat, which can be found in Adajan and Magdalla. Ather Energy plans to add 8-10 more to strengthen the charging network and make the transition to electric scooters stress-free and convenient. Ather Energy aims to add 500 Ather Grids by the end of FY22 across the country. The rapid charging network is available to all electric two-wheelers and electric four-wheelers, and it is free of charge until the end of December 2021. Ather Energy also helps customers in setting up home charging solutions in their apartments and buildings.

Ather Energy has expanded its retail footprint across key cities in India and is currently present in 21 cities with 25 retail stores. The company plans to expand to 100 cities with 150 Experience Centers by March 2023.

The ex-showroom price post the Fame II revision for the Ather 450X is Rs 1,26,926 and Rs 1,07,916 for the Ather 450 Plus in Surat.