Bengaluru-headquartered EV manufacturer Ather Energy would soon provide its proprietary charging connector to other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for their two-wheelers, aiming to pave the way for an interoperable two-wheeler fast charging platform for the country.
This would not only cut range anxiety by allowing all scooters to access Ather Energy’s 200+ fast chargers, but also allow more OEMs to set up products on a common standard thus lowering infrastructure investments, said the company in a statement.
A robust charging infrastructure makes accelerated adoption of electric two-wheelers. Ather considers that in order to maximize usage and efficiency of charging infrastructure, there needs to be common connectors that can be used across products. The firm has invested in building a fast-charging network since its inception by providing normal speed charge options to all electric two-wheelers and four-wheelers free of cost.
The firm says that opening up Ather Energy’s connector technology will endorse the use of a common connector, allowing all EV owners to use any fast charging solution across the country. This is likely to enable the entire ecosystem to work together to fast-track EV adoption in India.
While there are global standards for electric four-wheelers like the CHADEMO, CCS, etc. there are is a lack of connector standards available customized for two-wheeler fast charging, except in China. Two-wheeler fast charging requirements are different.
The shape and size of the vehicle makes it infeasible to adopt a four-wheeler charging connector. Likewise, the same connector would be used for normal as well as fast charging. Indian road environment, temperature, and moisture require a standard designed for Indian conditions with adequate field tests for safety and equipment life.
Ather’s device has a combination of AC and DC charging with the same connector. This connector size has been designed to be appropriate for integration into two-wheelers and three-wheelers with the ability of CAN 2.0 communication with control and proximity pilot. It is designed for production at low expense, which allows it to be used in mass segment vehicles, added the company.
“Electric two-wheelers are now going mainstream with the big push through FAME 2 by the government. Consumers need a fast-charging network in public locations to make this shift and that’s exactly what we are doing to build this category,” stated Tarun Mehta, Co-founder & CEO, Ather Energy.
Sharing our proprietary charging connector is a big step for having a common connector and hence interoperable chargers for all two-wheelers. At this stage of the category, the industry requires these collaborations and we are already in talks with some OEMs to take this industry collaboration forward,” he added.
