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      Ather Electric Scooter Production Set To Increase – Thanks To New Hosur Plant

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      Ather Electric Scooter Production Ends At Bangalore Plant
      In order to expand its presence across the country, Ather needs to scale up its production considerably to meet required demands

      At a time when most electric vehicles (EV) related technologies were foreign and barely within access, Ather Energy, an Indian startup, provided the necessary momentum to the EV segment in India by developing technologies and manufacturing vehicles on its own. Backed by big corporate houses such as Hero MotoCorp and Flipkart, the brand has come a long way in the Indian automotive scene.
      The company started its production at a facility based out of Bangalore and will now shift to Hosur in Tamil Nadu. Spread across 4,00,000 square feet, Ather hopes that this new plant in Hosur will produce 1,00,000 units of electric two-wheelers annually in the coming years.
      Enhanced Production Capacity
      Sharing a picture on his Twitter handle, Tarun Mehta, Co-founder and CEO of Ather Energy, said the new facility will drastically increase rate of production. With this new manufacturing facility, Ather can transit from a startup to an established two-wheeler brand in the EV segment in India. The company currently has 450X and 450 Plus in its product portfolio.
      Recently, the last batch of Ather 450 rolled out of its facility in Whitefield outside Bangalore before being discontinued altogether. The low sales volume of 450 was a result of a combination of lack of availability, high pricing and sparse charging network.
      Tweet from Ather CEO
      Ather launched the 450 initially in just two cities- Bangalore and Chennai. Ather 450X and 450 Plus will be made available across 27 cities in the country by late 2021. This should help the manufacturer reach its target sales volume.
      Setting up a new facility will help Ather ramp up production to 3,000 units per month initially and then increase it to 8,000 units per month by the first half of next year. Initially, Ather averaged just 300 units from its Bangalore facility.
      Besides manufacturing electric scooters, Ather will also focus on developing batteries, with imported Lithium-Ion cells at the site. The same facility will also be used to develop Ather’s first electric motorcycle although it is still some time away.
      Benefits Enjoyed By EVs in Tamil Nadu
      Further, relocating the facility to Tamil Nadu will make the company eligible for all the benefits as per the state’s EV policy. This will enable Ather to enjoy benefit such as 100% exemptions on electricity tax to all EV related industries in the state, till 31st December 2025. Alongside, companies are also entitled to stamp duty exemption for the purchase of land to set up factories.
      Ather recently started deliveries of 450X last month. The scooter was launched earlier in January this year and has been priced at Rs 1.59 lakh (ex-showroom). The 450X is powered by a 2.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which is paired with an electric motor generating 6kW/28 Nm and can return a single-charge range of 116 km. More

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      Ather 450X Electric Scooter Delivery Schedule Announced For All Cities

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      Ather 450x Electric Scooter
      After launching 450X in several new cities, Ather Energy has shared delivery schedule for those locations

      Some of the new cities that were recently added include Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Pune. The company already has presence in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. By end of next year, the company has plans to make 450X available in 27 cities.
      City-wise delivery schedule and other updates
      Customers in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad have already started receiving Series 1 and Grey Ather 450X. Buyers in Bengaluru and Chennai will start getting deliveries of White and Green Ather 450X later this month. In Pune, deliveries are expected to commence this weekend. However, the colour of the units that will be delivered is yet to be revealed. Payments are open across Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad.
      Talking about developments in specific cities, Hyderabad will soon be getting a company-owned experience centre. This is currently being constructed. A temporary facility is available close to the upcoming experience centre, where interested users can take a test ride. Hyderabad already has 10 Ather Grid points and more are in the works.
      In Mumbai, the company’s experience centre is being constructed in Khar. However, test rides are already available at some temporary locations. Deliveries in Mumbai are expected to commence later this month.
      Ather 450x Electric Scooter delivery schedule in all new cities. Credit – Ketul Tikekar
      Up north, deliveries in Delhi are expected to commence sometime in March next year. The company is yet to finalize a retail partner for the city. However, test rides will commence this week in Delhi at a temporary location in Saket. Customers in Delhi will get additional subsidy of Rs 14,500 in addition to Rs 29,000, which is available under FAME-II scheme.
      In Kolkata, deliveries are expected to commence in January next year. The company is working to finalize a retail partner and select an appropriate location. In Ahmedabad, deliveries have already commenced and test rides are being provided seven days a week. The city has also received three Ather Grid points.
      In southern India, test rides have begun in Kochi at a temporary location close to Gold Souk Grande. The city will be getting an experience centre that is expected to become operational by next month. Customers in Coimbatore, Calicut and Kozhikode will start getting deliveries in Q1, 2021.
      Ather 450X tech specs
      Ather 450X is the successor to Ather 450 that has been discontinued. Ather 450X comes with a range of upgrades including superior performance, faster charging and higher standby time. The scooter utilizes a 2.61 kWh battery pack that comprises 21700-type Li-ion cells. Max power and torque is 8 hp and 26 Nm, respectively. True range is 85 km on a single charge. 450X comes with fast charging that allows users to load 15 km in 10 minutes. More

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      Ather 450X Electric Scooter To Launch In 16 New Cities – First TVC

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      Image – Rajesh Narukulla
      Ather 450X, limited-edition Series 1, and network expansion to new cities

      Phase 2 of expansion will see Ather Energy launch Ather 450X in 16 additional cities – Mysore, Hubli, Jaipur, Indore, Panaji, Bhubaneshwar, Nasik, Surat, Chandigarh, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guwahati, Nagpur, Noida, Lucknow and Siliguri. Planned and rapid expansion is encouraged by Ather Energy’s products, dealership requests, and volume of test ride requests.
      Ather Energy is geared to meet national demand by Q1 2021, when Ather 450X will be available across 27 cities in India. Buyers will be eligible to get their hands on the limited-edition Series 1 vehicle for orders placed in January 2020, prior to official launch of the new product line.
      Business in new cities will begin in a staggered manner by Q1 2021. Test rides will let potential consumers experience the vehicle. Ather mobile app offers personalised ride statistics, charging status, push navigation, and other functionalities. This includes theft and tow detection, live location & vehicle state tracking.
      Ather Energy expansion
      Ather is in discussion with prospective retail partners and is zeroing in on locating spaces to set up its fast EV charging network, Ather Grid. Of the 11 markets Ather is present in, 60+ charging points are installed, and plans are on to increase that number. Below is the first ever TV commercial of Ather electric scooter.
      [embedded content]
      Ather 450X is an upgrade from the 450. It’s quick and smart, and available in three new colours – Grey, Green, and White. Power comes from a 6kW PMSM motor, a 2.9 kWh lithium-ion battery, to support 4 riding modes. Eco, Ride, and Sport aside, the high- performance Warp mode is a new addition.
      Ather 450X goes from 0 to 40 kmph in 3.3 sec in Warp mode. On that mode, its’ the quickest 125cc category scooter. Ather 450X charges 50 percent faster than earlier at 1.5km per minute. This is the fastest charging rate in the electric two-wheeler category.
      Ather 450X features
      Features include 4G SIM card and Bluetooth connectivity to manage phone calls and music on the touchscreen dashboard. The 7″ touchscreen dashboards colour depth of 16M, and a Snapdragon Quad-Core processor. Ather 450X uses Android Open Source to support Google map navigation, on-board diagnostics, and features like Over-the-air updates, Auto Indicator off and Guide- me-home lights.
      Ravneet Singh Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy: “We are really excited about adding 16 new markets and we look forward to establishing ourselves in these cities in the coming months. This expansion is the result of the strong demand from the consumers, dealerships and also, the test ride requests that we have received since the launch of Ather 450X.
      Ather Energy has always strived to build futuristic electric two-wheelers which boast of superior technology and innovative solutions to make the switch to electric easier for the consumers. We aim to introduce Ather products across the country and fulfill the needs of consumers by providing a premium offering.” More

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      Ather 450X Electric Scooter Ahmedabad – 1st Owner Takes Delivery

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      Ather 450x 1st delivery of Ahmedabad by Kataria Green
      As promised, Ather Energy has commenced deliveries of its 450X electric scooter in Ahmedabad

      As may be recalled, the company had started operations in Ahmedabad in October via its dealer partner Kataria Group. This was part of the company’s plan to expand operations across the country. Ather has also expanded its footprint to Mumbai and Pune. Other cities that will be covered soon include Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Kochi and Coimbatore. Ather already has presence in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.
      Ather 450X specs
      Ather Energy had started out with its 450 electric scooter, which has now been discontinued. 450X works as its replacement and comes with several new features and updates.
      Powering the scooter is a 2.9 kWh lithium-ion battery pack connected to a 6kW PMS motor. With 26 Nm of torque, Ather 450X can effortlessly zip through city streets. The battery is IP 67 rated water resistant and dust proof and comes with 3 year warranty.
      Users can choose from ride modes of Eco, Ride, Sports and Warp. Max range is available with Eco mode at 85 km on a full charge. Ride and Sports mode allow 70 km and 60 km, respectively. Warp mode is built for max performance.

      According to the company, this is true range that users can get in real life driving conditions. In a laboratory environment, Ather 450X range is much higher at 116 km. Many users have reported achieving more than the stated range, which is testament to the claims made by the company.
      Ather Grid
      To make refuelling just as convenient and hassle free as gasoline scooters, Ather is focusing on expanding recharging stations in cities. Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is at a nascent stage in the country, which is a key reason for not buying electric vehicles. An increase in the number of charging stations in a city is expected to take care of range anxiety that people usually have about electric vehicles. It will also motivate people to make the switch to electric.

      In cities where Ather is operation, the company is building an extensive network of charging stations. The locations are determined in such a way that a charging station is never more than 4 km away. These charging stations can be easily located via Ather app or on the dashboard. Ather’s charging stations are equipped with fast DC chargers that can load 1.5 km per minute.
      The grid can recognize individual vehicles and can be accessed remotely via Ather app. Apart from the company’s own products, Ather grid will also support charging of all other two wheelers and four wheelers that use a 5A charger. More

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      Ather Electric Scooter Owner Achieves 139 kms Range On Single Charge

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      Image – HarshaVardhan
      Multiple Ather electric scooter owners have claimed to have achieved range which is higher than the company claimed range of 107 kms

      With electric mobility solutions slowly gaining feet in the country, electric scooters have benefitted the most. With better affordability and performance with innovation of new technologies, it seems e-scooters will lay the stepping stone for electric vehicles in India.
      However, one aspect which still makes consumers think about an e-scooter, as with all EVs, is its single-charge range. Buyers are still wary as to how many kilometers can an e-scooter travel before its battery dies out. The range claimed by various brands until now has been very inconsistent and far from their claimed figures. However, the same may not be true for Ather 450.
      Ather Energy claims the single-charge range of 450 e-scooter to be around 107 km (ARAI rated). Multiple owners have claimed that they have managed to achieve range higher than 107 kms. One owner has even claimed that he achieved a range of over 139 kms on a single charge.
      The owner, HarshaVardhan has posted his experience on the official Ather Energy website along with details. He had no plans on achieving this record drive range, but his only aim was to reach his destination. In his own words, he says, “No intention to make or break records and this was achieved purely out of necessity.”
      Image – HarshaVardhan
      What Speed to Maintain To Achieve Max Range
      In his post, he states that he started at 8 AM from his hometown Chittoor to Chennai for periodic maintenance of his 450. His Ather 450 electric scooter had been kept on charge overnight, and was showing full 100% battery at the time he left.
      For most of the journey, he maintained avg speed of 20-25 kms in ECO mode. His top speed during the entire journey was 35 kmph. The only weight he was carrying was Ather DOT charger in boot and a bag weighing about 2 kgs. His body weight is about 55 kgs. He says that if you travel at a faster rate, you will not manage to achieve such range. For example, another owner mentioning that he managed to get 84 kms range while cruising at 60 kmph on his Ather electric scooter.

      He hypermiled and rode as efficiently as one could for almost four hours at an average speed of around 20-30 kmph. It was tough for him to carry out this journey at such low speeds for such a long period of time but he instead channeled his focus on the reaction of the people around him who were amazed by the looks of this new e-scooter. The green registration plate was another point of attention as there are no electric vehicles around that region.
      HarshaVardhan is not the only owner who has managed to achieve such high range. Another owner, hamsapriya1212 has posted in the group that he managed to achieve a range of over 110 kms on single charge. He was intrigued to find out that many people had achieved a range of almost 135 km far above the claimed range of 107 km. Therefore, he wished to overhaul this record for some time now. He got his consumption down to 18 Wh/km during his daily commutes which theoretically adds up to 133 km on full charge subjected to if it can be constantly maintained.
      Image – hamsapriya1212
      He started at 5 AM with the aim of achieving max range from his fully charged Ather electric scooter. He managed to achieve this range by not riding over 35 kmph, accelerating gradually and maintaining same speed, avoid heating up of the battery and taking breaks. This allowed him to exhaust the battery at 110.3 kms.
      Another owner, Raghupathy has also shared his story of getting higher range. Raghupathy got his Ather 450 e-scooter delivered in July although he was supposed to receive it by March. However, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent nationwide lockdown, the delivery got deferred. An Ather community member helped him take delivery of his brand new electric scooter and ship it to Tirupur near Coimbatore.
      Raghupathy set out for the highway starting from his residence in his village near Tirupur. He chose a day sensing the perfect weather conditions when it was neither windy nor rainy and began his ride on a 100 percent charge level. He made sure he wasn’t carrying any extra weight so that the scooter can perform most efficiently.
      He crossed 50 km after consuming 45 percent of his battery’s life. Unsure how much longer could the battery actually last, Raghupathy decided to turn around toward his home after driving straight for two hours and two minutes. While returning home, he could sense the difference as the elevation was dropping and that helped bring down the Wh consumption by 2 points.
      Image – Raghupathy
      On reaching home he was surprised to find out 10 percent of his battery life still left. He further took a round of 3 km around his house when he finally came to a halt after an acute back pain due to riding for almost four hours. At the end of his test, he travelled 103 km with 2 percent of charge still left.
      Ather 450 details
      For reference, Ather 450 is powered by a 2.4 KWh battery pack which sends power to a BLDC motor which is capable of 3.3 kW of sustained power (5.4 kW peak). It gets a peak torque of 20.5 Nm of torque which helps it accelerate 0-40 kmph in just 3.9 seconds. It can attain a top speed of 80 kmph. More

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      Ather 450X Electric Scooter First Batch Delivered To Customers

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      Ather 450X Electric Scooter
      Hero MotoCorp currently holds maximum shares of Ather Energy at 37.84 percent followed by Sachin Bansal at 20.69 percent

      Ather earlier this year has launched a new line of products including 450X and 450 Plus. A couple of weeks ago, the e-scooter brand discontinued the standard 450 after the last of its unit rolled out of the assembly line in September. The company is now back in the headlines as first phase of deliveries of the Ather 450X electric scooter has already started.
      What’s more exciting is that customers who had booked their 450X in its initial stages after its launch at the start of this year, i.e., prior to 28 January 2020 will be eligible to upgrade their bookings to a limited-run 450X Series 1 Collector’s Edition at no extra cost. This special edition model of e-scooter comes with translucent body panels that reveal its cast aluminum chassis and trellis framework.
      Expansion of Ather network
      “Electric vehicles are here to stay and Ather Energy is playing a leading role in driving this change”, said Tarun Mehta, Co-founder and CEO, Ather Energy. He further went on to add that post the successful launch of its new product line, Ather is now looking forward to delivering the vehicles and seeing them across all cities.
      The startup will be expanding its footprints to new centers across the country including Ahmedabad, Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kolkata in coming days. The company also plans to install Ather Grid in each of the new places. Ather had initially started its operations in two cities- Bengaluru and Chennai.
      Ather 450X Electric Scooter First Batch
      Recently, the startup also revealed that it will be shifting its production base to Hosur in Tamil Nadu in order to meet the high prospective demands in coming years. This new manufacturing facility will be designed to roll out 1 million electric scooters every year.
      Ather 450X details
      Series 1 Collector’s Edition of 450X has already started shipping to dealers across the country, images of which have leaked online. The 450X is powered by a 2.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which is paired with an electric motor generating 6kW/28 Nm and can return a single-charge range of 116 km. It has been priced at Rs 1.59 lakh (ex-showroom).
      Ather Energy, India’s first intelligent electric scooter manufacturer has received a fresh bout of investment amounting to $35 million which roughly translates to Rs 260 crore. In its latest round of Series D investment Sachin Bansal has invested a total of $23 million which when converted to INR translates to over Rs 170 crore.
      Bansal has been backing the Bengaluru-based electric scooter startup since its inception in 2014 as an Angel investor when it contributed $0.5 million. The latest investment takes Bansal’s contribution towards Ather Energy to $53 million. The other major investment in the latest Series D was made by Hero MotoCorp in the form of $12 million (or INR 90 crore). More

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      Ather 450X Series 1 Electric Scooter Arrives In Showroom – First Look

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      Ather 450X Series 1
      Ather 450X Series 1 is a Collector’s Limited Edition of the Ather 450X electric scooter

      Last month, Ather Energy announced the launch of their 450X Series 1 electric scooter. This is a Limited edition of the 450X; and is being offered to those customers who pre-ordered the 450X prior to its reveal on 28th January 2020. If you ordered after 28th Jan, you are not eligible.
      Ather says that the Series 1 is their way of thanking their customers who showed trust in them by booking their 450X scooter even before it was revealed. Deliveries of the Ather 450X are set to start in the coming days. Ahead of that, it has now arrived in the showroom. Below is a first look video, shared by James JDC.
      [embedded content]
      Ather 450X Series 1 Sporty Styling
      This special edition is based on the flagship 450X and will be the first electric scooter to receive translucent body panels that reveal its cast aluminum chassis and trellis framework. This feature will be the main highlight of the special edition Series 1. Ather Energy has also confirmed that customers would receive the Collector’s Edition Series 1 from later this month.
      Buyers will initially receive the Ather 450X Series 1 with black panels which would be replaced with translucent panels starting from March 2021. Deliveries will be start in 11 cities of Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Coimbatore, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Pune, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.
      Ather 450X Series 1
      The Ather 450X Series 1 is built on a light weight hybrid aluminum frame chassis and kerb weight will stand at 108 kgs. It will be seen in sporty colour options of red and black called ‘DayGlo Red’ and will receive distinctive ‘Series 1’ ‘450X’ stickers across it body.
      Noticed on the model showcased in the video is a 7 inch touchscreen display. This display shows off an intro screen with the display offering information of over-the-air updates, on board navigation, auto indicator off, guide me home lamps and connected mobile App.

      Ather 450X Series 1 gets a Snapdragon 212 Quadcore processor with 1.3Ghz, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage Android Open Source OS (AOSP) 7-inch TFT LCD, LED Backlit, Capacitative Touch. It also receives GNSS with AGPS positioning system and connectivity via 4G LTE Cat-4 WCDMA / EDGE, Bluetooth 4.2, BLE 5.0.
      Power and Performance
      Ather 450X Series 1 will be powered by the same motor as seen on the Ather 450X. This 2.6 kWh Lithium ion battery along with a 6kW/28 Nm motor offers a top speed of 80 km/h, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and a range of 116 kms on the Indian Driving Cycle and at 85 kms on TrueRange.
      This makes the Ather 450X faster not only as compared to any other electric scooter but also when compared to a 125 cc petrol powered scooter currently on sale in the country. The scooter offers 4 riding modes of – Eco, Ride, Sport and Wrap. The battery can be charged via a home charger from 0-80 percent in 3 hours 35 minutes and from 0 to 100 percent in 5 hours 45 minutes.
      Ather 450X is priced at Rs.1.59 lakhs which is inclusive of GST and FAMI II incentives. This price is inclusive of battery ownership but registration and insurance will be extra. Price of the Series 1 is same as that of the 450X. More

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      Ather Electric Scooter Delivery Promised In 3 Weeks – Via Full Payment Option

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      Ather 450X
      Buyers will be assured of a buyback value of Rs. 85k for the 450X and Rs 75k for the 450 Plus; after a three year period

      Ather 450X and 450 Plus electric scooters are now set to be delivered to customers who have made pre-bookings. A new window is being opened for these patrons to complete their payment formalities while deliveries are promised from mid November.
      Today, Ather announced the opening of full payment option for both their scooters – 450X and the 450 Plus. Once you have made the full payment, Ather has guaranteed delivery within 3 weeks period. This payment option is only launched in Bangalore and Chennai. Other cities are expected to get this option at a later date. 450X is priced at Rs 1.59 lakhs while the 450 Plus is priced at Rs 1.4 lakhs.
      4 Subscription Packs
      There are 4 subscription plans on offer. These include Ather Connect Lite for basic connected features and include a periodic maintenance. Ather Connect Pro, Ather Service Lite and Ather Service Pro are the other three options.
      Customers opting for Ather Service Lite benefit from periodic maintenance packs along with road side assistance and labor chargers. Ather Service Pro assures premium service experience and free charging via the Ather Grid till March 2021.
      Ather in Delhi
      Ather Leasing Options and Assured Buy Back
      Ather Energy has also introduced new leasing options for the 450X scooter for which it has partnered with Autovert, a Bengaluru based automotive financing firm. These start at down payment options of Rs.25,000 going up to Rs.60,000 while monthly rentals along with service and insurance starts off at Rs.3,900. Customers can exit this scheme after one year or retain the same while they also have a choice to surrender the vehicle after a three year lease period.
      Where the buy-back scheme is concerned, Ather Energy promises a maximum of Rs.85,000 on the Ather 450X after a period of three years while on the Ather 450 Plus this figure stands at Rs.75,000. The company has put a limit on mileage at 30,000 kms.
      Variants, Features, Battery Specs
      Ather 450X is offered in Plus and Pro variants. It receives a 7 inch touchscreen offering readouts, etc. There is also an Android based open source operating system with features such as map navigation and on board diagnostics, Bluetooth for music and access to incoming calls, and 4G connectivity via an in-built e-sim card.
      Ather 450X is capable of three riding modes of Eco, Ride and Sport while there is also a Wrap mode allowing the scooter to accelerate from 0 to 40 km/h in 3.29 seconds. The 450X also sports parking assist system with reverse and forward mode, under-seat illumination with 22 liter storage and regenerative braking.
      The Ather 450X EV also gets dedicated app for directing riders to the closest charging station, view vehicle statistics, save locations and store documents. Battery specs include an IP67 rated 2.9 kWh lithium ion battery pack offering 8 hp power and 26 Nm torque. This allows the scooter to reach a top speed of 80 km/h and riding range of 85 km on single charge.
      Network Expansion
      Plans are afoot to introduce the scooter in Delhi by Diwali while the company continues to expand its charging infrastructure with 135-140 public charging points to be added which will continue to offer customers free charging till 31st March 2021. Other plans for FY 2021 include expansion to 15-16 cities taking launch plans to 25 cities across India by the end of that year.
      There is also a new plant coming up in Hosur, Tamil Nadu by the end of this year. Exports prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were planned to countries of South East Asia, Europe and Latin America. These plans are back on track though what was expected to take 12 months could now take upto 2 years. More