Ola could launch electric scooters as soon as its Futurefactory nears completion

Ola could launch electric scooters as soon as its Futurefactory nears completion

When it comes to driving EV adoption in the country, we need a big brand to introduce affordable battery-powered two-wheelers. While Ather and Bajaj are doing their part, their electric scooters command a higher price tag. Ola Group, which announced its first electric scooter factory in Tamil Nadu last year, which could change the dynamics of the market. Its CEO, Bhavish Aggarwal, has revealed that Phase 1 of the Rs 2.400 crore 'Futurefactory' is almost complete and the company plans to start launching scooters soon. According to Aggarwal, this is the world's largest two-wheeler factory and its preparation took only 4 months. He said: “In just 4 months this place has grown from acres of empty rocky land to the largest 2W plant in the world. Ola Futurefactory Phase 1 is coming to an end! The scooters are coming soon. When complete, this factory is expected to create more than 10,000 jobs and will have a production capacity of more than 2 million scooters each year. Just a few days ago, Aggarwal showed off a picture of the upcoming scooter and asked his Twitter subscriber base what his favorite color options were. He also confirmed that the black color was already finalized.

It's time to order paint! What color would you like to have the Ola scooter? You've covered for Black! What else? @OlaElectric pic.twitter.com/NXMftKJrrq June 24, 2021 See More The teaser image shared by him reveals the front design of the scooter and shows that the new electric scooter will be available in a two-tone finish and will have a unique headlight cluster headlights surrounded by LED daytime running lights. The design, however, is similar to the AppScooter from Etergo BV, the Ola company acquired in May last year. Now these Indian-made scooters will target the domestic market and are also expected to be available in markets like Europe, UK, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Australia and New Zealand by the end of the year.

Ecosystem and affordable prices

In addition to the scooter itself, the company is looking to establish a network of hyperchargers, promising to install 100,000 charging stations in 400 cities and towns across the country. Of these, the company plans to install 5.000 charging points this year. The scooter should have a range of 150km when fully charged and the rapid charger should recharge from 0-50% in just 18 minutes giving a range of 75km. While the scooter will come with a home charger, Ola's setup of the Hypercharger network will help the company once it launches electric four-wheelers as well. Ola has yet to announce the retail price for this scooter; However, it is said to be one of the "most affordable and stylish" electric scooters in the country. With the new FAME II electric vehicle policy in place, the incentive for electric scooters has been increased to Rs 15.000 per kWh from Rs 10.000 per kWh previously. At an expected price of Sub-Rs. 100,000, Ola scooters will face competition like Ather 450X, Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube etc. However, the huge production capacity and plans will give Ola an advantage in both supply and competitive prices. Do you want to know the latest technological events? Follow IndiaComparison on Twitter, Facebook y Instagram!