Ather Energy accelerates new product development, expands R&D centre in Bengaluru

Ather Energy has announced the expansion of its R&D and testing capabilities at its Product Testing and Validation Centre - The Juggernaut. The electric two-wheeler maker’s R&D centre, located in Begur, Bengaluru, will help the company accelerate new product development, testing, and validation. Ather says the expansion of this facility is key to the brand’s R&D ecosystem, which is designed to “ensure the quality, reliability and performance of its scooters."

The Juggernaut - What is it?

Ather’s The Juggernaut R&D centre spans over 38,692 sq.ft. and is designed to validate durability and safety across vehicle system and component levels, including on-road endurance. The centre houses dedicated labs for structural durability, battery testing, electronics reliability, and vehicle environment testing.

The Juggernaut product testing and validation centre has dedicated labs for structural durability, battery testing, electronics reliability, and vehicle environment testing

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The Juggernaut product testing and validation centre has dedicated labs for structural durability, battery testing, electronics reliability, and vehicle environment testing

Speaking about the expansion of The Juggernaut, Swapnil Jain, Co-founder & CTO - Ather Energy, said, “EVs are radically different from ICE vehicles and are a relatively new technology, so it is important to thoroughly test all the components of the vehicle. At Ather, we have made significant investments in R&D over the years and have developed processes & standards for testing to deliver quality products. Our products go through rigorous tests that are designed around Indian riding conditions and extreme usage scenarios, reflecting how customers use our scooters. With the expansion of The Juggernaut, we are scaling up our testing capacity & capabilities, enabling us to accelerate innovation and product development while maintaining our focus on performance, quality and reliability."

Ather Product Testing & Validation

Ather Energy has revealed it follows a layered approach towards product development, ensuring testing and validation at every stage. The new Juggernaut facility is equipped with a 4 DOF Road Simulator/MTS 334 road load simulator for targeted testing of systems like suspension frames. This enables early bug detection, faster design optimisation, and lower change costs. The road load simulator can replicate real-world two-wheeler riding conditions, compressing a 100,000 km endurance test into just 15 days - a process which typically takes around 10 years to cover on the road.

The R&D facility also conducts battery validation tests comprising thermal performance test, water wading test, drop test, and vibration and thermal cycling to tune the battery for performance and safety

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The R&D facility also conducts battery validation tests comprising thermal performance test, water wading test, drop test, and vibration and thermal cycling to tune the battery for performance and safety

Ather says it aims to continuously refine its validation processes to improve real-world performance with the help of multi-stress factor testing and a feedback loop from field data to test cases. The data-driven testing approach will help engineers predict and address potential failure points on products before the rollout begins.

Ather Energy Battery Testing Process

The R&D facility also conducts battery validation tests comprising thermal performance test, water wading test, drop test, and vibration and thermal cycling to tune the battery for performance and safety. Ather says battery packs are tested under real-world load conditions, cycling them through typical customer usage patterns to monitor degradation in equivalent kilometers. Ather’s battery packs undergo 272 tests, including over temperature testing, mechanical drop testing and extreme vibration testing, and are certified IPX7 waterproof and AIS 156 compliant. Ather also follows the Ather Product Development System (APDS), which mandates eight quality reviews before any product launch. The manufacturer has conducted 4,535 unique tests to validate its electric two-wheelers as of December 31, 2024.

Watch: Ather Rizta review: Perfect electric scooter for the family man? | Colours, price, features, range

Ather Energy has three R&D facilities in Bengaluru, Karnataka, including one recognised as an in-house R&D unit by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). About 46 per cent of the workforce is dedicated towards R&D. The brand has two manufacturing plants in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, one each for vehicle assembly and battery manufacturing. The company has a third plant coming up in Bidkin, AURIC, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra.

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