Hero and Ather collaborate to expand EV Charging Ecosystem

Forging a landmark moment for the EV industry, Hero MotoCorp – the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, and Ather Energy, one of India’s leading electric vehicle manufacturers, have entered into a partnership for an interoperable fast-charging network in India. 

Through this collaboration, EV users will be able to seamlessly use both VIDA and Ather Grids across the country. The combined network will cover 100 cities with over 1900 fast-charging points. 

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) recently approved Light Electric Combined Charging System (LECCS), India’s first-ever indigenously developed AC and DC Combined Charging connector standard for light electric vehicles. This combined network, which utilises the approved charging system, will be the largest EV charging ecosystem in the country.

Not just in India, this is the first-ever interoperable fast-charging network for EV two-wheelers anywhere in the world. The interoperable network will accelerate EV adoption by strengthening the overall segment and promoting a convenient ownership experience. 

Customers will be able to locate and navigate to the charging stations through the “My VIDA” and Ather App. The interoperability will enable them to discover only compatible locations, locate their nearest charging station, view its availability, and navigate to the station. 

Commenting on the collaboration, Dr. Swadesh Srivastava, Chief Business Officer – Emerging Mobility BU, Hero MotoCorp, said:

“We are happy to extend our association with Ather Energy through this interoperable fast-charging network. VIDA’s brand promise is building a “Worry-free EV ecosystem”, and this largest charging network in the country will go a long way in providing a seamless & convenient ownership experience to customers. This fastest-growing network utilises the government approved connector-standard, thus ensuring current and future customers will be able to use and charge their vehicles without any hassles in the future too. I congratulate the teams at Ather and VIDA for setting yet another global benchmark in the two-wheeler EV space.” 

Swapnil Jain, Co-founder and CTO, Ather Energy,

“We are happy to partner with Hero MotoCorp for setting the stage for an interoperable fast-charging network. It’s a massive win for Indian OEMs to collaborate on scaling up charging infrastructure. This partnership will pave the way for consumers to access an extensive network of charging stations across the country, alleviating range anxiety. Given the technical superiority of LECCS and the fact that it was Made in India for India, we believe more OEMs will find it lucrative to adopt this standard. Today we are also committing that any OEM which adopts the LECCS standard will have access to Ather Grid across India. With this interoperability we are already demonstrating how it is beneficial for all OEMs to be on one standard. We believe that public charging infrastructure for two-wheelers is now set for collaborative expansion.” 

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