Fast-charging Your Ather Electric Scooter From The Ather Grid Is No Longer Free
Published On August 2, 2023 08:45 IST
By Nishaad for Ather 450X[2020-2024]
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The charging cost commanded by Ather isn’t exactly cheap…
Ather Grid charging points, which were free for all customers till date, will now cease to be so. Starting from today (August 1), the electric scooter manufacturer will charge Re 1/ minute plus GST for using its charging points.
Disappointed? Well, you see, Ather had kept its fast-charging services free since quite a while now but this was a long time coming. By charging a fee, Ather hopes to make sure that people only use the chargers for as long as they need to, swiftly freeing them up for others who need them more.
There are a few exceptions to the new charging policy. Owners of Ather’s Gen 1 and 1.5 scooters will still get free charging access at Ather Grid points. And if you purchased a scooter in December 2022, you can still charge your scooter for free at Ather Grid till the end of 2023.
Talking about Ather and fast charging, the brand recently collaborated with BPCL (Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited) to expand its fast-charging grid. BPCL's extensive network of 21,000 petrol pumps will be utilized to install Ather's chargers. Currently, Ather Energy has 1,400 chargers in 100 cities. The Ather App will be used to provide real-time information on charger availability and streamline charging session planning. The main focus of this collaboration is to enhance charging infrastructure in metropolitan areas and along busy intercity routes.
Currently, four fast chargers have been installed at various locations in Delhi NCR. Ather plans to expand this to over 100 fast chargers at BPCL locations all over India by the end of the year. BPCL's broader goal is to establish a network of 7,000 such stations across India. Interestingly, Ather’s investor, Hero MotoCorp, too, previously collaborated with BPCL for the same. Even Bounce Infinity had a partnership with BPCL for battery swap stations.
In related news, we recently saw a test mule of the new 450S. While we have some information about its console and price, more details about it will be revealed on August 3 and 4, after which our first ride review will drop. So stay tuned to BikeDekho for more about it.