Hero MotoCorp-backed Ather starts making EV scooters in Tamil Nadu

Ather Energy’s new scooter plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, has started production with an investment of more than Rs 630 crore, said the Hero MotoCorp-backed electric vehicles start-up on Thursday.

The plant spreads over 400,000 sq. ft and it will manufacture electric scooters along with lithium-ion batteries. Ather did not comment on production, but Tamil Nadu's nodal agency for investment promotion tweeted a picture of the plant rolling out scooters. 

The company has signed an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government to invest Rs 635.4 crore in the plan that will create around 4,000 jobs in five years.

"Ather is rapidly scaling up and we need to expand our production capacity to meet the growing demand. The new unit will help us meet the demand for the next few years across the country. Tamil Nadu has been a hub for automobile manufacturing, and they have been working closely with us in their effort to build an EV ecosystem," said Tarun Mehta, chief executive officer of the company, earlier.

Ola Electric is also setting up a 2-million units per annum plant in Tamil Nadu. On December 14, 2020, Ola Electric signed an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government to set up its plant that it said will be the largest for EV scooters in the world.