Ather Energy is preparing for an aggressive expansion of its retail footprint and manufacturing capacity as it looks to scale up volumes with its newly launched mass-market electric scooter, Konarc. Priced from ₹99,999 ex-showroom, the scooter is expected to become Ather’s largest-volume model as early as next year, even as the company plans to more than double its manufacturing capacity.
With Konarc broadening its product portfolio, Ather now has enough products to support a much larger retail network, co-founder and chief executive Tarun Mehta said. The company is targeting 1,500-2,000 retail stores across the country over the next few years.
“With a product like Konark, our portfolio is now wide enough to afford somewhere in the vicinity of 1,500–2,000 retail stores across the country. This is a target that we will take over the next few years,” Mehta said.
Rs 500 Crore Investment
The company has made its largest investment yet in a new product, with the EL1 platform and Konarc development expected to require ₹400-500 crore or more. The investment excludes go-to-market and marketing expenses and covers product development, including research and development and testing.
“Platform investments precede product investments, which remain substantial. Ather began work on the platform in 2019, but paused before picking it up again around 2024, making it roughly a two-year effort. The platform and product together will involve an investment of ₹400–500 crore or likely more,” Mehta said.
Konarc is central to Ather’s strategy of moving beyond its traditional customer base and accelerating the shift from internal combustion engine (ICE) scooters to electric mobility. While Rista was developed to get more customers to buy an Ather, Konarc was conceived to get more consumers to buy an electric scooter.
“When we thought of Rista, Rista was born from a mindset of how do we get more people to buy an Ather. Konark was conceptualized from a problem statement of how do we get more people to buy an electric,” Mehta said. “That will remain our number one priority,” he added.
Konarc’s contribution to overall volumes will remain limited this financial year due to capacity constraints, but Mehta expects it to potentially become Ather’s biggest volume model next year.
“This fiscal will still be small because there is limited capacity. But by next year, I would not be surprised if Konark is possibly our largest volume share,” he said.
Ramping Up Capacity
Ather’s existing plant has a capacity of 35,000 units a month, while its new facility will add another 42,000 units. Once fully ramped up, combined capacity will reach 77,000 units a month. “It takes typically a couple of quarters for a plant to hit its peak capacity,” Mehta said.
The Konarc, the first production model on Ather’s new EL architecture, is offered in S and Z variants with 100km, 125km, 161km and 200km range options. It comes with a 10-year or 100,000km battery warranty and access to around 6,000 public fast chargers. Deliveries of select S variants begin from September 21.
