Ather Energy & Foxconn to address surging demand for electric scooters

The electric scooter brand will ramp up annual production of 120,000 to 400,000 units

Ather Energy, Bengaluru-based electric scooter manufacturer, has reportedly announced a new collaboration with Bharat FIH – a subsidiary of Foxconn Technology Group.

As a part of the partnership, the brand will design and manufacture critical components used in Ather’s 450X and 450 Plus scooters.

Primary goal of Ather is to leverage this collaboration to boost its manufacturing ecosystem and overall output to meet the consistently rising demand for its flagship products.

Speaking on the partnership, Josh Foulger, MD of Bharat FIH, briefed upon the significance of electronics in intelligent electric vehicle, which is encouraging Bharat to expand its electronic manufacturing services portfolio.

Mr. Foulger added that the company sees potential in supporting Ather’s EV journey in India and will contribute to the collaboration with its technical expertise throughout the brand’s electric scooter offering.

To be precise, Bharat FIH’s manufacturing services that will aid Ather include battery management system with printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies, peripheral controlling units, dashboard assembly, and drive control modules

At present, Bharat has already started producing component parts for Ather scooter at its facility and will manufacture the above-mentioned services on a “Turn-Key” model for the EV scooter brand.

With a robust local supplier network which allows 99% products to be developed indigenously, Ather’s EV offering consisting of 450X and 450 Plus has witnessed a 20% spike in month-on-month sales and is anticipating a similar trend in the following months.

To meet surging demand from a long-term perspective, Ather announced the amplification of its current 120,000 units annual production to 400,000 units at its Hosur facility, for which it has acquired additional land.

Furthermore, Ather Energy’s comprehensive goal includes enhancing annual production capacity to accommodate 1 million scooters, installing some 5,000 fast chargers across the nation and expanding its network over the next 3 years to build 600 stores.

Source Credit: https://www.businesstoday.in/auto/story/ather-energy-partners-with-foxconn-to-cater-to-the-growing-demand-of-its-evs-325361-2022-03-09