The world's largest two-wheeler maker by volume, Hero MotoCorp has become the first major OEM to adopt Ather Energy's proprietary fast-charging connector technology for electric scooters. The Bengaluru-based start-up had made its fast-charging connector design public for other manufacturers to use in a bid to standardise the charging infrastructure in the country. Hero has taken up the offer and is likely to implement the same when it enters the electric scooter segment next year. Ather Energy is also helping the two-wheeler giant to incorporate the connector design in its e-scooters.
Sharing the connector design allows Ather and Hero to set-up universal chargers that can be accessed by customers
Responding to carandbike, an Ather spokesperson said, "Ather has received strong interest from several players post the announcement of opening up of our IP for the proprietary fast-charging connector in August 2021. We now have Hero MotoCorp as our first partner on this journey to drive faster adoption of EVs. We are also in conversation with other OEMs, charge point operators and charging equipment manufacturers. The public charging infrastructure is now set for consolidation and we are working closely with several partners to make this future possible."
"More OEMs using a common connector will pave the way for an interoperable two-wheeler fast charging platform for the country. This would not only reduce range anxiety but also allow more OEMs to build products on a common standard thus lowering infrastructure investments," the spokesperson added further.
Hero holds a 35 per cent stake in Ather Energy. In pic: Tarun Mehta co-founder Ather with Pawan Munjal, Chairman Hero MotoCorp
carandbike also reached out to Hero MotoCorp for a comment and will update the story as and when the company responds. While Hero owns a 35 per cent stake in Ather Energy, the companies have been working independently as far as developing electric vehicles are concerned. While Ather has built and sold the 450 range right from the ground up, Hero MotoCorp partnered with Taiwanese company Gogoro to accelerate its EV development. The manufacturer also teased its first electric scooter earlier this year, which is likely to arrive in the first half of 2022.
Also Read: Hero MotoCorp Teases Upcoming Electric Scooter At Its Tenth Anniversary Celebrations
At the time of making its IPs public, Tarun Mehta, co-founder and CEO - Ather Energy told carandbike, "The proprietary technology was doing more harm than good to the larger electric vehicle ecosystem. It made it difficult to set up public charging stations that cater to all brands, and there was a need to establish common charging stations. This, in turn, will slow down the EV industry."
Mehta further said its fast-charging connector design was developed for production at low costs. It's also tried and tested and allows more vehicles to access common charging stations. As part of the agreement, Ather does not have any commercial consideration including a licensing fee or royalty fee. The move will also allow Hero and Ather owners to swap charging stations in the future. A common charging connector solution will only help both players to widen their charging network for customers.
