"EVs Are Going Mainstream,"Says Ather Energy CEO

The electric two-wheelers have become mainstream. The fire incidents will help manufacturers focus on quality and allow them to mature the industry, said Ather Energy cofounder and Chief Operating Officer (CEO) Tarun Mehta.

Hero MotoCorp's firm estimates that electric two-wheelers will be sold in India by the end of the decade. Ather Energy would also invest more to increase capacity over the next few decades. "I believe that what has happened in recent years has helped to mature the industry. This will encourage more manufacturers to concentrate more on quality, reliability," Mehta stated.

His question was about the impact of fire incidents in electric two-wheelers from various manufacturers (Ola Electric, Okinawa and PureEV) on the growth of EVs within India. These incidents are forcing more players to put more emphasis on quality, he noted. He also said that EVs are becoming mainstream regardless of their quality, but with better quality products this will be a no-brainer. Reports of electric two-wheelers from manufacturers such as Ola Electric and Okinawa Auto tech catching on fire in April of this year were made. The government formed a panel to investigate.

Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari warned businesses about penalties if they are found negligent and stated that they would be ordered recall defective vehicles. Ola Electric then recalled 1,441 units its electric two-wheelers. Okinawa also announced the recall of 3,215 units its Praise Pro electric scooter due to battery issues. Pure EV also recalled 2,000 units its ETrance+ models and EPluto7G models.

Mehta stated that the incident with an Ather scooter setting fire to itself was an accident vehicle. He said that screws had been replaced and water had been poured in. It was not a realistic scenario. "We have never had a fire in an operational vehicle." He said that they are extremely proud of this record. Ather Energy is focused on quality and reliability since day one, Mehta stated, adding that "We have never rushed through any launch. We have never skipped a test step. Over the past seven-eight year, we have been steadily building up and staying extremely focused.
 

Mehta stated that India's electric-two-wheeler market is huge and that 20-30 million of them will be sold by the end of the decade. He stated that in order to keep up the demand, he would invest more money over the next few decades in capacity growth. These two plants are only a start. However, he declined to comment on future plans for the company. The company announced last November that it would invest Rs.650 crore in a second manufacturing plant in Hosur Tamil Nadu, to increase its production capacity from 1.2 lakh units annually to 4 lakh units.