DPIIT Signs MoU with Ather Energy to Accelerate EV Manufacturing and Clean Mobility in India

In a strategic move to bolster India’s electric vehicle (EV) sector, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bengaluru-based EV manufacturer Ather Energy. The partnership aims to strengthen the country’s clean mobility ecosystem and support deep-tech startups in the EV value chain.

A Push for Indigenous Innovation

The collaboration is part of the Build in Bharat initiative, led by the Startup Policy Forum (SPF)—a coalition of over 50 innovation-driven startups focused on hardware and manufacturing. The MoU outlines a multi-pronged strategy to:

• Provide strategic mentorship for startups developing core EV and battery technologies. 
• Offer infrastructure access and exposure to manufacturing processes. 
• Launch joint innovation programs like the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge. 
• Host skill development initiatives and national events such as Startup Mahakumbh

Voices from the Partnership

Joint Secretary of DPIIT, Sanjiv Singh, emphasized the transformative potential of the EV sector:

Through this partnership with Ather Energy, we aim to catalyse an enabling environment where startups can contribute meaningfully to EV manufacturing, battery innovation, and clean energy solutions.

Ather Energy’s Co-founder and CEO, Tarun Mehta, echoed the sentiment:

We are happy to collaborate with DPIIT to strengthen support systems for hardware and deep-tech startups. With policy support and stronger industry participation, this initiative can help founders tackle core technology challenges and scale high-quality products from India.

Strategic Impact

The MoU is expected to:

• Bridge the gap between early-stage ventures and industrial-scale opportunities. 
• Promote localisation of EV components and battery innovation
• Expand India’s startup base in clean mobility and advanced manufacturing

President and CEO of the Startup Policy Forum, Shweta Rajpal Kohli, described the partnership as a milestone:

Unlocking the potential of India’s manufacturing sector through collaboration is key to building a globally competitive innovation ecosystem.

Context and Momentum

The DPIIT–Ather Energy pact comes amid growing momentum in India’s EV sector, driven by policy incentives, state-level EV programs, and rising consumer adoption. It follows DPIIT’s recent MoU with Maruti Suzuki India, signaling a broader push to integrate startups into the country’s industrial growth narrative.

Ather Rizta Crosses 1 Lakh Unit Retail Sales Mark

Ather Energy Limited, India’s leading electric two-wheeler manufacturer, announced that its family scooter, the Rizta, has crossed the 1 lakh unit retail sales milestone within a year of its launch. The Rizta has received a strong response from family scooter buyers across India, since its unveiling in April 2024, contributing to significant growth in Ather’s market share.

Ather Rizta

Commenting on this milestone, Ravneet Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy said, “Hitting the 1 lakh milestone with the Rizta is a big moment for us. The Rizta, which was built from the ground up with a focus on addressing the needs of Indian families, has played a key role in expanding our reach and connecting with a much wider set of customers. It combines practically everything a family scooter needs: a spacious and comfortable seat, ample storage, safety features, and reliability to make everyday commuting effortless; all that packaged in great design that Ather has come to be known for. In less than a year since its launch, the Rizta has helped us grow our market share significantly across multiple states, broadened our consumer profile, and accelerated adoption in states where our presence was earlier limited.”

Rizta, Ather’s first family scooter, expanded Ather’s product portfolio and played a key role in catering to a much larger consumer segment in the country. Since scaling up deliveries in Q2 FY25, Ather’s market share has seen a significant increase across key states including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. Post its launch, Rizta has become the preferred choice for most buyers, accounting for around 60% of total sales to date. Its popularity is driven by a strong feature set that balances everyday utility with smart technology and comfort. Moreover, the Rizta along with the Ather 450 series has enabled Ather to become the #1 brand in South India in Q4FY25, as per Vahan data.

To enhance the ride comfort, the Rizta comes with a host of features such as 56L under-seat storage, a wide and comfortable seat, and a spacious floorboard in addition to several safety and connected features. SkidControlTM, which was introduced on the Rizta, is a traction control system that manages motor torque to prevent loss of traction on low-friction surfaces like gravel, sand, water, or oil. Other safety features include the Tow & Theft Alert, which notifies the owner about any unauthorised movement of their scooters and the Emergency Stop System which flashes the tail light rapidly to indicate to the vehicle behind that you’re coming to a sudden halt.

In addition, the software enabled ‘Live Location Sharing’ which is a part of the AtherStack 6, allows riders to share their location with a preset contact in just a few clicks and enhances the safety of riders in emergency situations. The Rizta also comes with Google Maps on the dashboard for easy navigation.

The Rizta was first unveiled at the Ather Community Day in April 2024 and retails began from June 2024 across the country.

Ather Energy and Infineon Technologies Partner to Accelerate India’s Electric Two-Wheeler Revolution

• The collaboration drives innovation supporting India’s EV adoption goals
• The scalable, energy-efficient solutions contribute to a greener, more sustainable future within India’s EV ecosystem

Ather Energy, a leading electric two-wheeler manufacturer in India and Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, a global leader in semiconductor solutions, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Seoul, South Korea, to jointly drive innovation in the electric vehicle (EV) industry in India. The collaboration focuses on advancing semiconductor technologies to support light electric vehicles (LEVs), charging infrastructure, and safety, with a shared vision to contribute to India’s growing EV ecosystem.

The partnership aims to leverage cutting-edge semiconductor solutions from Infineon based on various technologies, microcontrollers and automotive related sensors, alongside Ather’s expertise in designing state-of-the-art LEVs (Light Electric Vehicles). Together, the companies will work towards enabling more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective EV solutions, driving the adoption of electric two-wheelers in India.

(From L-R seated): Peter Schaefer, Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer Automotive, Infineon Swapnil Jain, Executive Director and CTO, Ather Energy 
(From L-R standing): Hong Sung-il, Senior Director, Head of Vehicle User Experience & E/E Architecture, Automotive Segment, Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Gerald Phua, Distribution Marketing Director, Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Girish Kamala, Senior Director & Country Head – Sales Automotive, Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Kenneth Lim, Senior Vice President, Automotive Segment, Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific Harendra Saksena,  Chief Procurement Officer, Ather Energy Dennis Fong, Senior Director, Head of Vehicle Motion, Automotive Segment, Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific

Speaking on the occasion, Swapnil Jain, Executive Director and CTO, Ather Energy, said: “At Ather, we’ve always believed that building great EVs starts with getting the fundamentals right - performance, efficiency, reliability. Our approach has always been grounded in first-principles thinking and deep engineering, questioning how every system can be made better, faster, and more efficient. That’s where semiconductor innovation becomes critical. Infineon’s leadership in semiconductors and system solutions brings deep expertise that aligns with our engineering-first approach. Our partnership with Infineon gives us access to advanced technologies that can help us improve key systems, from charging to safety and explore ways to reduce system complexity and cost. We're looking forward to seeing how this collaboration can help us push the boundaries, not just for our products, but for the larger EV ecosystem in India."

Highlighting the importance of this partnership, Peter Schaefer, Executive Vice President and Chief Sales Officer Automotive at Infineon, said: “India is one of the fastest-growing EV markets globally, and electric two-wheelers are at the heart of this transformation. We are thrilled to partner with Ather Energy to enable the next generation of sustainable mobility solutions. Our advanced SiC and GaN technologies will help drive energy-efficient and high-performance electric vehicles. This partnership will foster innovation that contributes meaningfully to India’s ambitious objective to reach a 30 percent sales share for EVs by 2030.”

This collaboration will explore sensing and safety innovations to elevate vehicle safety and user experience. These solutions deliver significant advantages in terms of energy efficiency, charging speed, and overall system reliability, making EVs more accessible, sustainable, convenient and appealing to consumers.

Bajaj Auto, Ather Energy, Mahindra and Tata Motors Amongst Top Automobile Innovators in South & S.E. Asia

India Reinforces Position as Innovation Hub in South and South East Asia, Says New Clarivate Report

Bajaj Auto, Ather Energy Pvt. Ltd., Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and Tata Motors amongst the top innovators from the automobile companies.

Representative Image

New Delhi, December 15, 2020 – Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CCC), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today announced the release of a new report on Innovation in South and South East Asia. The report Innovation in South and South East Asia revealed that 64% of the 235 leading innovators are Indian organizations, reinforcing India’s position as a regional research and innovation hub. Governments and academic institutions in the region are pivotal to enabling innovation. They constitute 57% of the top innovators in the report.

Science, technology and innovation are at the forefront of South and South East Asian countries’ national agendas. The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (2016 to 2025)[1] and ASEAN IPR Action Plan (2016 to 2025)[2] show why and how science, technology and intellectual property (IP) can contribute to national and regional socio-economic development goals. At a national level, the Indian government has identified innovation as a priority, with initiatives such as Innovate India, a platform for showcasing innovation. The concerted policy push by governments and new initiatives from IP offices in the region to encourage IP investment and make IP protection more affordable are encouraging a culture of innovation and IP. 

South and South East Asian innovators identified in the report saw their inventions rise by 10% year on year between 2014 and 2018.

Jeff Roy, President, IP Group, Clarivate, said, “South and South East Asia are of the most dynamic and diverse regions in the world and innovation is key to their future growth. At Clarivate, we believe that human ingenuity, through innovation, can change the world. We focus on better serving innovation hubs and helping our customers and partners around the world to more effectively operate in fast growing regions and hubs when it comes to Intellectual Property. As a trusted partner to academic institutions, government organizations, nonprofits and corporations in the region and worldwide, we will continue to support our customers to deliver life-changing innovations."

Download the report ‘Innovation in South and South East Asia’.

Report Methodology:

Research was conducted using patents filed between 2014 and 2018 by organizations that originate from the region. From analysis of over 75,000 inventions across the region, 235 organizations made the final list of key innovators in the region. These organizations were based in 9 countries -- Brunei Darussalam, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam and included government research institutions, academia, and corporations. The research utilized editorially enhanced, authoritative and accurate patent data from Derwent World Patents IndexTM (DWPI) and Derwent Patent Citations IndexTM (DPCI), retrieved in July 2020, to track innovation based on four indicators: patent volume, patent grant success, citation volume and extent of globalization.

About Clarivate

Clarivate™ is a global leader in providing solutions to accelerate the lifecycle of innovation. Our bold mission is to help customers solve some of the world’s most complex problems by providing actionable information and insights that reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing inventions in the areas of science and intellectual property. We help customers discover, protect and commercialize their inventions using our trusted subscription and technology-based solutions coupled with deep domain expertise. For more information, please visit clarivate.com.

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[1] https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/02-APASTI-2016-2025-Implementation-Plan-FINAL.pdf

 

[2] https://www.aseanip.org/Resources/ASEAN-IPR-Action-Plan-2016-2025#:~:text=This%2010%2Dyear%20roadmap%2C%20also,through%20the%20use%20of%20IP

Ather Energy Hires Dr. Venkatesh Padmanabhan as Chief Operating Officer

Ather Energy, the smart electric two-wheeler start-up, today announced the new addition of Dr. Venkatesh Padmanabhan as the Chief Operating Officer. Fondly known as Venki, he will head supply chain, quality, manufacturing, and service delivery at Ather.

“For my 10 years in India, I have been wrestling with this singular question: can we, will we create world beating consumer hardware products and brands from scratch? We are great in value engineering, local sourcing manufacturing and even at detail engineering of designs of others. But what about solving hairy consumer problems with our own design, and our own brand?” said Venki. “When I met Tarun, Swapnil and their team at Ather, it was like a lightning bolt hit me. They surely have great brand, design and engineering mojo and are in early stages of building detail engineering and manufacturing capability. I thought I had value to add to this exciting quest and I signed up.”

“Venki’s career has taken him to multiple countries and multiple automotive companies. He has a strong knowledge base of the operational requirements for an automotive company, specially two wheelers. His network and his experience in the industry is a valuable asset for a young company.” said Tarun Mehta, CEO, Ather Energy. “Ather is a young company, building on a new platform with a nascent to often non-existent vendor ecosystem. Venki’s exposure to vendors and manufacturing processes in India will prove a strategic advantage as we close in on the production of the S340.”

After 15 years at General Motors, in 2004 Dr. Padmanabhan joined Daimler Chrysler's (DCX) Chrysler Division to support the integration of Lean Manufacturing in its diverse operations and later also worked at Mercedes Car Division. He was brought to India in 2007 as Managing Director of Chrysler's first South East Asia Global Sourcing Centre in Chennai from where the company today sources close to $1B every year in automotive parts.

He joined Royal Enfield as Chief Operating Officer in 2008 and rose to the position of Chief Executive Officer in 2011. During this period, with two successful launches of the Classic and Thunderbird single cylinder UCE based motorcycles, the company saw a threefold increase in sales and twenty fold increase in profits. Royal Enfield now is a brand reborn and thriving in India and 45 other countries.

In 2013, Dr. Padmanabhan served as the MD & CEO of EICL (English Indian Clays Limited) to help recast a 75 year old $80M Kaolin Clay and Starch Producer into a modern innovation driven specialty chemicals company. He moved to Cyient in October 2015 to integrate its acquisition of Rangsons Electronics into extending the detail engineering offerings of its aerospace, defense, rail, medical and consumer business units into complete life cycle offerings.

Bangalore Startup Aims To Clone Tesla's Charging Station Model

Bengaluru-based automotive startup Ather Energy, which has been in the news for its much-awaited India's first premium electric smart scooter, the S340, has now taken upon itself to replicate Tesla Inc.’s charging infrastructure business model in India.

For the uninitiated, Tesla is a major American automaker, energy storage company, and solar panel manufacturer based out of Palo Alto, California. It is also known as the world’s most aggressive electric vehicle firm, having built over 5,400 superchargers with the goal of enabling long-distance travel for more than 200,000 Tesla owners around the world.

The startup, which is promoted by India’s largest two-wheeler company Hero MotoCorp Ltd, is currently meticulously working on preparing a blueprint to install charging stations at malls, restaurants, cinemas, offices and business parks. Their aim is to have at least some of these ready before the S340 launches next year, in 2018.

In October, 2016, Hero MotoCorp picked up a 26-30% stake in the Bengaluru-based startup through a Rs. 205-crore “strategic investment”. Some other big names that have invested in the startup include Tiger Global and Flipkart's Sachin and Binny Bansal.

The company, which was founded in the year 2013 by IIT Madras alumni Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain, currently faces its biggest hurdle in the country's Electricity Act, 2003. According to the act, an individual or private institution are not allowed to sell electricity directly in the Indian subcontinent. If one does aim to do that, they're required by the law to acquire a discom licence from the state electricity regulatory commission making them eligible to sell power.

The company has even written to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) voicing their concerns about the Act and requesting a change in the fourteen year old Act. The PMO ended up moving the request to the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP)—the government body for all start-up-related policies—which in turn passed it to the officials at the department of heavy industry.

According to a report in live mint, the latest update on the matter is that the secretary in the department of heavy industry has written to the ministry of power to address the issue, and Ather has been assured that the matter is being looked into and a policy change might be in the pipeline.

The startup, if allowed to sell electricity through its own charging stations, plans to open the infrastructure for usage for other electric vehicle makers as well.

According to experts in the sector, there is an urgent need for regulatory clarity in order attract investments to the sector. Currently, there is no clarity on the regulatory aspect of sale of electricity by third parties to electric vehicles, which is not permitted under the 2003 Electricity Act.

Let's see if the ministry of power comes through on the matter and introduces a change in the policy as soon as possible so that Ather can get to work.

Bangalore Startup Aims To Clone Tesla's Charging Station Model

Bengaluru-based automotive startup Ather Energy, which has been in the news for its much-awaited India's first premium electric smart scooter, the S340, has now taken upon itself to replicate Tesla Inc.’s charging infrastructure business model in India.

For the uninitiated, Tesla is a major American automaker, energy storage company, and solar panel manufacturer based out of Palo Alto, California. It is also known as the world’s most aggressive electric vehicle firm, having built over 5,400 superchargers with the goal of enabling long-distance travel for more than 200,000 Tesla owners around the world.

The startup, which is promoted by India’s largest two-wheeler company Hero MotoCorp Ltd, is currently meticulously working on preparing a blueprint to install charging stations at malls, restaurants, cinemas, offices and business parks. Their aim is to have at least some of these ready before the S340 launches next year, in 2018.

In October, 2016, Hero MotoCorp picked up a 26-30% stake in the Bengaluru-based startup through a Rs. 205-crore “strategic investment”. Some other big names that have invested in the startup include Tiger Global and Flipkart's Sachin and Binny Bansal.

The company, which was founded in the year 2013 by IIT Madras alumni Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain, currently faces its biggest hurdle in the country's Electricity Act, 2003. According to the act, an individual or private institution are not allowed to sell electricity directly in the Indian subcontinent. If one does aim to do that, they're required by the law to acquire a discom licence from the state electricity regulatory commission making them eligible to sell power.

The company has even written to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) voicing their concerns about the Act and requesting a change in the fourteen year old Act. The PMO ended up moving the request to the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP)—the government body for all start-up-related policies—which in turn passed it to the officials at the department of heavy industry.

According to a report in live mint, the latest update on the matter is that the secretary in the department of heavy industry has written to the ministry of power to address the issue, and Ather has been assured that the matter is being looked into and a policy change might be in the pipeline.

The startup, if allowed to sell electricity through its own charging stations, plans to open the infrastructure for usage for other electric vehicle makers as well.

According to experts in the sector, there is an urgent need for regulatory clarity in order attract investments to the sector. Currently, there is no clarity on the regulatory aspect of sale of electricity by third parties to electric vehicles, which is not permitted under the 2003 Electricity Act.

Let's see if the ministry of power comes through on the matter and introduces a change in the policy as soon as possible so that Ather can get to work.

Ather Energy Raises Rs 180 Cr Investment from Hero MotoCorp

Ather Energy, the smart electric two-wheeler start-up, today announced a fresh round of funding of INR 180 crores from Hero MotoCorp for 26-30% stake. The funding marks the third round of investments in Ather Energy, which is building the S340 - India’s first smart, electric scooter. Previous rounds of investments in the company were by Tiger Global; and Sachin and Binny Bansal, promoters of Flipkart, in their personal capacity.

Speaking on the investment, Tarun Mehta, CEO and co-founder of Ather Energy said, “The funding is a strong validation of our product roadmap and technology capability, endorsed by one of the biggest global automotive players. We believe smart connected electric vehicles are the future and India will be an important global player in it. Our vision is to fast forward to that future and this investment will help us leapfrog several years of automotive experience."

This new round of capital infusion will be used by Ather to sustain momentum in its journey of building a future-ready product platform, and to accelerate the infrastructure and ecosystem development around electric vehicles in the country.

The Board of Directors of Hero MotoCorp, in its meeting held on October 26, 2016, approved an investment of up to Rs. 205 crore, of which the immediate tranch is of Rs. 180 crore.

Commenting on this investment, Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Hero MotoCorp said “As the market leader and a global automotive major, Hero takes the lead in many areas that benefit the environment, customer and industry. Adoption of environment-friendly fuel is a priority for Hero, as is propagating sustainable manufacturing through green facilities. One of our strategic priorities, therefore, is to engage with the external ecosystem, including start-ups in adjacent areas. Hero MotoCorp intends to enhance its participation in the EV space by pursuing its internal EV program in addition to partnering with Ather. Ather is the best start-up in the two-wheeler EV space and we firmly believe that they are on the way to become one of the leaders in India, potentially even globally. They bring together a vision with high aspiration, ability to progress rapidly and the humility to learn and improve continually. We are excited to be a strategic investor and see this as an important step in building the necessary ecosystem needed to support commercialisation of EVs in the country.”

Earlier this year, Ather unveiled the S340, an uncompromising electric vehicle with a Lithium ion battery pack, top speed of 72 kmph and a range of 60 km. But what sets Ather apart is the fundamental promise of a richer ownership experience. On the product, this manifests through vehicle intelligence which enables on board navigation, pre-emptive diagnostics, remote configuration and personalised ride profiles through a touchscreen dashboard and mobile app.

The experience extends to the go-to-market strategy with a combination of online sales complemented by experience centres that will bring the brand to life. The ownership experience also ensures convenience through door step delivery and servicing and a mobile app for remote access and configuration. Ather also aims at setting up a ubiquitous charging infrastructure in every city it will operate in, partnering with government and private enterprises.