Ather Energy has steadily been ramping up its fast-charging ‘Grid’ network and has just opened its 580th fast-charging station. Ather says it has plans to increase that number to 1,400 by the end of FY2023 and claims its network has been strategically installed, with 60 percent of all recent fast-chargers being set up in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

• Ather to have 1,400 fast chargers by end of FY2023

• Largest fast charging network in India for two-wheeler EVs

Ather fast-charging network: details

Currently, Ather Grid has 580 fast charging points scattered across 56 cities in India, with 60 percent of all recent installations taking place in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Ather says it has plans to open 820 more charging points by the end of FY2023, which would take the total number to 1,400. The fast-charging stations can charge Ather e-scooters at the rate of 1.5km/min. Ather Grid can be used free of charge by compatible electric two-wheelers and four-wheelers till the end of this year.

Hero MotoCorp’s maiden electric two-wheeler offering, the Vida V1 e-scooter, has tapped into this, using the same open-sourced connector design as Ather's e-scooters and also having a fast-charging capability of 1.2km/min. This means that Vida V1 owners can effectively plug their scooters into Ather’s fast-charging network. Ola Electric had announced its plans for its ‘Hypercharger’ fast-charging network last year, but since then there hasn’t been any update regarding the same.