Ather Energy expands in Maharashtra, opens showroom in Nashik

Smart electric scooter maker Ather Energy is fast expanding its retail network in Maharashtra, which recently unveiled a dynamic EV policy designed to increase the number of EV adopters.

The company has opened a new Experience Centre in Nashik, at Patwa EV Zone, Trambakeshwar Road, Nashik in association with Patwa Auto Drive. The 450X, alongside the Ather 450 Plus, will be available to test ride and purchase at Ather Space. 

In addition to the FAME subsidy by the Central government, the Maharashtra government is giving early-bird buyers a maximum discount capped at Rs10,000 for purchases done before December 31, 2021, 10 percent of new vehicles sales to be EVs, exempting road tax and vehicle registration for all EVs in the state, and giving subsidies up to 50% on building charging infrastructure.

The ex-showroom price after the FAME II revision for the Ather 450X is Rs 141,926 and Rs 122,916 for the 450 Plus in Nashik. These prices are expected to further reduce once the  state government subsidy guidelines are issued.

Ather says the opening of its third Experience Center in Maharashtra is driven by the strong consumer demand from the State.Earlier this year, Ather expanded its presence across multiple cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Trichy, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur,  Kozhikode, and Indore.

Ather has installed five fast-charging points – Ather Grid – at Gangapur Road, Sula Road, Pawan Nagar, Kartikey Nagar, and Trambakeshwar Road. All the Ather Grid locations are strategically placed in key areas of the city so that they are easily accessible to EV owners across Nashik. Ather Energy plans to add 8-10 more charging points to strengthen the charging network to provide smooth and stress-free rides for EV owners in Nashik. The EV OEM also helps customers in setting up home charging solutions in their apartments and buildings.

According to Ravneet Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy, “Maharashtra is a large and growing market with strong EV traction. The government has also been driving further impetus with the recently announced state subsidies. With the revised Maharashtra EV policy, the Ather 450 Plus and Ather 450X will be eligible for almost Rs 25,000 subsidy, making Ather scooters the cheapest in Maharashtra. This is the only state where we have on-ground operations up and running in three cities and we are already looking to expand to a few more cities by the end of the year. Patwa Auto Drive has been extremely supportive in setting up the experience center and starting operations in Nashik. The test ride requests and pre-orders have been good from Nashik since the launch of Ather 450X and we expect a strong consumer demand with the recent  FAME II revision.” 

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What is Ather Space?
Ather Space essentially is a dynamic, tactile and interactive facility designed to educate customers about electric vehicles (EVs) while providing a holistic experience in an interactive space. EV aficionados can ride the Ather 450X and get an in-depth view of the product and its features before pre-ordering the electric scooter.

With a naked scooter on display, visitors get an opportunity to learn about every aspect of the vehicle and witness the engineering and mechanical efforts that have gone into manufacturing it. Further, they can learn and interact with the intelligent and connected features through a digital display.

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

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