Ather Energy announces partnership with Bharat FIH (A Foxconn Technology Group Company)
Ather Energy reports strong response for 450X and 450 Plus electric scooters. In a year’s time, MoM sales improved by 20 percent. The manufacturer expects this trend to continue in the months to come.
To meet growing demand, Ather has partnered with Bharat FIH for parts manufacturing. The alliance caters to developing and manufacturing key components for Ather scooters. Enhancing the manufacturing ecosystem will help meet demand for Ather 450X and the 450 Plus.
Ather Energy has made strategic investments to foster an EV ecosystem. This boosts mass adoption of EVs and helps cater to rising demand. In February 2022, Ather sales crossed the 2k mark, a decline from sales in January 2022.
Ather Electric Scooter Production expansion
In growing its business, Ather Energy has created a strong local supplier base. 99 percent of products are indigenously built and sourced for manufacturing. When it comes to supplying and manufacturing components for Ather scooters, the manufacturer is focused on finding the right vendor to ensure quality.
In order to address growing demand over time, Ather Energy is scaling up production from 120,000 to 400,000 units per annum at its Hosur facility. More land has been acquired to do the same. In the next three years, Ather aims to increase annual production capacity to a million scooters.
During this time, 5,000 fast chargers are to be setup. Other areas of focus are new product development, and network expansion to 600 stores. At present, Ather operates out of 30 experience centres (retail outlets) in India.
Raw material procurement
Bharat FIH offers a range of manufacturing services. This includes Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Assemblies for Battery Management Systems, Dashboard Assembly, Peripheral Controlling Units, and Drive Control Modules. To be manufactured on a ‘Turn-Key” model, supply chain logistics and raw material procurement for Ather Energy will also be managed. Production of parts for Ather scooters at the Bharat FIH facility have begun.
Tarun Mehta, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Ather Energy said “The EV industry continues to witness growth at an unprecedented rate with strong demand across segments. Ather Energy also finds itself in the midst of phenomenal growth as we continue to expand our retail footprint across the country. We are working towards strengthening our supply chain to cater to the rising demand for our scooters.
Towards this, we are delighted to partner with Bharat FIH to provide us with the capacity, supply chain capability, and process expertise to achieve our volumes and projections. Bharat FIH has demonstrated incredible capability over the last few months by ramping up very quickly to meet our requirements. This partnership also reflects the opportunities that large auto component manufacturers today recognise in the EV industry.”