EV startup Ather Energy ties up with dealers to set up experience centres

Electric vehicle startup Ather Energy on Friday said it has tied up with three dealers in Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad to set up experience centres, ahead of the deliveries of Ather 450X electric scooter.

The Bengaluru-based company has already announced that Ather 450X, its second offering in the market, will be available to customers in 10 cities -- Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Kolkata and Coimbatore.

Deliveries in these cities will be made by the first quarter of 2021 in a phased manner, according to Ather Energy.

The company currently runs two experience centres, called Ather Space, in Bengaluru and Chennai.

The retail experience that Ather Energy has built through company-owned experience centres will now be delivered through dealer partners. To that end, it has collaborated with Kamal Motors in Mumbai, BU Bhandari in Pune and Kataria Group in Ahmedabad, the company said in a release.

Ather Energy will design the retail space and experience centre for its dealer partners, with a focus on its holistic experience-led model.

"We are very pleased to partner with Kamal Motors, B U Bhandari and the Kataria Group. They have been extremely supportive and have been offering us their expertise to expedite the opening of their respective markets," said Ravneet Phokela, Chief Business Officer Ather Energy.

Ather is looking to set up more experience centre in the coming months, the release said.

Also, fast-charging infrastructure Ather Grid is being set up in all of the cities with each of them likely to get about 10-15 grid points before the commencement of the deliveries of the new scooter, it added.