[dazdandconfuzd]

Ather has announced in the official Ather forum that they will be rolling out charging fees for their Grid charging network shortly! It is in the open beta-test phase, with plans to fully roll out soon.

I believe the ₹1/min + GST time-based payment scheme will be detrimental to the user as charging speed depends on a lot of external factors, and due to the way batteries are charged (Charging speed decreases as the battery tops up), it could end up costing the user more than it should have, and downright unfair. For example, on a hot day, the charging speed is usually reduced and could end up costing more compared to a pleasant day. It would be better to implement a per kWh-based system instead.

Either way, it has only been a matter of time before they introduced paid charging. It began with the introduction of the 80% cutoff which was a godsend - a result of the annoying people who leave their Athers plugged in and go about their business, only for us to wait till THEIR scooter finished charging so we can plug in ours. Hoping this addition will keep such people even farther from the charging grids.

[Ketan T]

Originally Posted by dazdandconfuzd

annoying people who leave their Athers plugged in and go about their business, only for us to wait till THEIR scooter finished charging so we can plug in ours. Hoping this addition will keep such people even farther from the charging grids.

Ather has also decided to disable the 16A charging point at Ather Grid from June 1. All other two wheeler EV owners (Ola, iQube, Chetak, etc.) were using the Ather grid's 16A plug points to slow charge their vehicles, as it was free. Only Ather vehicles can fast charge at Ather Grids. As Ather grid allows charging only one vehicle at a time, this resulted in Ather owners having to wait longer for other non-Ather EVs to complete slow charge. With Ather Energy selling record number of vehicles every month, customers were starting to complaint about Ather Grids being occupied by other brand EVs slow charging at Ather Grid. I think it's high time other EV brands ramp up their public charging infrastructure as well.