Ather Scooters

Ather Energy is a Bengaluru-based EV manufacturing company founded by Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain, both from IIT Madras. It was founded in 2013 and their first product, the Ather 450 electric scooter, was launched in 2018. The Ather 450 was also India’s first indigenously developed electric smart scooter, armed to the brim with modern technologies including a TFT touchscreen with Over The Air (OTA) update capability and navigation with smartphone compatibility. An interesting tidbit is that Ather Energy is backed by Hero MotoCorp, which first invested in the startup back in 2016. In July 2020, Hero MotoCorp invested Rs 84 crore in Ather Energy, increasing its share from 31.27 percent to 34.58 percent, making it the largest stakeholder.

Initially, Ather was limited to Bengaluru and shortly after, Chennai, to ensure the fast-charging infrastructure is set up properly in the two cities. This also helped Ather keep up with the demand as its production (at least in the initial stages) was not as large as compared to mainstream manufacturers. 

As the electric scooter market slowly matured over the course of the next few years, Ather Energy also began its expansion process. In parallel, the brand started working on the evolution of the Ather 450, called the Ather 450X. This electric scooter was launched in January 2020. It was an all-round improvement over the Ather 450. The 450X got new battery cells for better range, a tweaked motor for better power, and even 4G connectivity. In fact, the Ather 450X is one of the fastest-accelerating scooters in India, including the petrol-powered segment. You can read its pros and cons here. If you’re keen on finding out its real-world range and how it behaves on our roads, check out our detailed road test review here.

Between 2020 and 2021, Ather Energy has managed to expand to several cities in India. According to Tarun Mehta, April 2021 marked the first time that Ather Energy recorded positive margins. Ensuring the increased demand is met, Ather Energy inaugurated its brand new plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu in February 2021 shifting production from Bengaluru. 

In Delhi, the Ather 450X is priced at Rs 1,46,926 whereas its more affordable variant, the Ather 450 Plus, is pegged at Rs 1,27,916 (both including FAME II and state subsidies, complimentary Ather Dot charger, and performance upgrade).

Rising fuel prices have pushed many buyers to go the electric route and Ather’s made-in-India electric scooters stand apart from the crowd of obscure China-sourced EVs thanks to its sleek design tempered with modern technology. It also has a much wider reach than electric scooters from mainstream manufacturers, such as the Bajaj Chetak and the TVS iQube Electric. The future sure looks promising for the Hero MotoCorp-backed brand. For all the latest developments from the brand, head here.