Origins: An Idea Born in a Lab, Fueled by Frustration
The story of Ather Energy began not in a garage, but in a lab at IIT Madras. It was 2013, and Tarun Mehta, a mechanical engineering student, was working on battery packs as part of a research assistantship. What started as academic curiosity soon turned into a revelation: India’s two-wheeler market—one of the largest in the world—was shockingly behind in innovation.
Electric scooters existed, but they were clunky, underpowered, and built with outdated imported kits. Alongside friend and batchmate Swapnil Jain, Tarun began asking a fundamental question:
“What if we built an electric scooter from scratch—designed for India, engineered like a gadget?”
That question became the spark behind Ather Energy.
First Principles Over Shortcuts
Tarun and Swapnil didn’t want to retrofit existing designs. Instead, they chose the harder path of building everything in-house, including:
- A custom-designed battery pack
- A proprietary battery management system (BMS)
- A software stack for real-time performance analytics
- A 7-inch touchscreen dashboard
- A companion mobile app
- And, eventually, their own charging infrastructure
Their belief: if you’re going to reimagine the scooter, don’t stop at the motor—rebuild the entire riding experience.
🗣️ “Every part had to be rethought—from how the scooter feels to how it thinks,” says Tarun.
Funded by Faith: The Early Backers
Their passion quickly caught attention. In 2014, Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal (co-founders of Flipkart) invested $1 million as seed capital. Soon after, Tiger Global joined the cap table. But funding didn’t accelerate the process—it gave them time to perfect their tech, not rush it.
In 2016, Ather unveiled its first prototype—the S340—a sleek, connected, futuristic scooter that ran diagnostics in real time and connected to the cloud. India had never seen anything like it.
Then came the real inflection point:
In 2018, Hero MotoCorp—India’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer—invested ₹205 crore for a 26-30% stake. That gave Ather both the capital and credibility it needed to scale.
Launching the Ather 450 and Ather Grid
In 2019, Ather launched its first mass-market product, the Ather 450, followed by the more powerful Ather 450X in 2020. It wasn’t just a scooter—it was a tech platform on wheels:
- Top speed: 90 km/h
- 0–40 km/h in 3.3 seconds
- Warp Mode for instant torque
- Real-time range predictions
- Built-in Google Maps navigation
- Over-the-air (OTA) updates, like a Tesla
- And all controlled through the Ather mobile app
But Tarun and Swapnil knew a scooter alone wasn’t enough. India needed charging infrastructure. So they launched Ather Grid—a public, fast-charging network that today spans over 2,000 locations across Indian cities and highways.
🛠️ “Without charging, the best EV is just an expensive paperweight,” says Tarun.
So they built the roads, quite literally, for their own revolution.
Built in India, for India
In 2021, Ather inaugurated its own manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, capable of producing 400,000 scooters annually. From R&D to assembly, Ather retained tight control over quality and innovation—a rarity in an era of outsourced manufacturing.
They also set up experience centers, branded as Ather Space, offering test rides, interactive dashboards, and workshops. This helped them educate customers, not just sell to them.
Rise to Scale: Revenue, Reach & Resilience
Despite growing competition from players like Ola Electric, TVS, and Bajaj, Ather remained focused on engineering excellence and customer experience.
As of 2025:
- Presence in 120+ cities
- Monthly sales: 10,000–12,000 scooters
- Annual revenue: ₹2,000+ crore
- Expansion into Nepal and Sri Lanka under pilot programs
- Launched Ather 450 Apex with better range and voice controls
- Working on a new family electric scooter and battery swap options
👥 Leadership & Culture
At Ather, the culture is quietly rebellious. It’s not about blitz-scaling or mass hiring. It’s about:
- Obsessing over quality
- Empowering small, autonomous product teams
- Focusing on long-term trust, not short-term trends
Unlike many tech startups, Ather doesn’t glorify hustle. The team believes in deep work, user empathy, and iteration over speed.
Lessons for Founders
Here’s what young founders can learn from Ather’s journey:
- Start with the problem, not the pitch deck.
- Build systems, not just products.
- Never outsource your core.
- Delay scale until you’ve nailed quality.
- Infrastructure is as important as innovation.
Final Word: More Than a Scooter Startup
Ather is not just a company that makes scooters. It’s a mobility company, a design company, a clean energy company, and, above all, a bold bet on Indian engineering.
In a country still transitioning from fossil fuels, Ather proves that deep tech made in India can lead the world—not just follow it.
🌟 “We don’t want to be the biggest. We want to be the best,” says Tarun Mehta.
