Ather Energy rapidly expands experience centres count. What's driving this push?

Ather Energy, has announced that it has recently inaugurated its new retail outlet - Ather Space, at Porvorim, Pilerne, Goa. The EV maker from Bengaluru has collaborated with Eveer Auto Pvt. for the opening of its new retail outlet. The company will retail its Ather 450 Plus from this Ather space, alongside the scooter will also be available for test rides.

Ather's latest move comes in the view of the Goa government announcing various initiatives to drive EV adoption in the state. The state aims for 30% of its total vehicle registrations to be EVs by 2025. The state has also come up with a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) cell in the territory. The Goa government has also announced incentives up to ₹30,000 for electric two-wheeler and three-wheeler buyers, no road tax, and registration fees on the purchase of EV 2-wheelers. In addition to that, the government is also pushing for all commercial two-wheelers which are operational in Goa to switch to electric power by December 31, 2025.

Apart from Goa, the company has also announced the commencement of its retail operations in Coimbatore earlier this week. This comes out as Ather Energy’s 16th experience center in India. Ather already has its presence in other cities of Tamil Nadu including - Chennai and Trichy. The company started its Chennai operation back in 2019.

Ather's stronger presence in the southern Indian state could be credited to the fact that the Tamil Nadu government has been one of the earliest to launch EV policies. The TN government offers incentives to OEMs ranging from full reimbursement of state GST paid on the sale of vehicles to exemptions from electricity tax for manufacturing units and a 15 – 20% subsidy on land cost. In addition to that, the policy also provides a complete exemption from motor vehicle taxes for battery-powered vehicles until 2022, as well as the creation of EV parks in major auto manufacturing hubs and locations, says Ather.