• Mass-market product launch: Ather is preparing to launch a new electric scooter priced between ₹1 lakh and ₹1.2 lakh built on its new EL platform, targeting a mainstream segment that currently accounts for roughly half of India's electric scooter industry.
• Manufacturing capacity expansion: The company plans to inaugurate its second factory in Maharashtra within a few months, complementing its existing Hosur facility and doubling capacity toward 77,000 units per month.
• Automotive PLI criticism: Mehta raised concerns that the Auto PLI policy inadvertently excludes EV startups due to revenue-threshold quirks, effectively granting legacy players a 16% cashback despite startups driving major R&D and capacity investments.
• RDI fund backing: Ather is an early recipient of low-interest loan support from the government's ₹1 lakh crore RDI fund, amid a broader surge of entrepreneurship across Indian deep-tech, hardware, and energy sectors.