New Delhi, Sept. 1 -- Ather Energy Ltd considers investing in new technology and brand a better option than spending on developing battery cells and components in-house, according to its co-founder, as a supply chain already exists for many of the parts in India.

"Assembly, manufacturing, ultimately, after a certain point, is only so much valuable. It's a very last step optimization," Tarun Mehta, also the chief executive at Ather, told Mint in an interview. "The much richer optimization is in IP (intellectual property) and brand today. So we will always put our money there."

Mehta, also the chief executive of the Bengaluru-based electric scooter maker, said, "We are big believers, contrary to some of our peers in the industry, that the...