Ola Electric two wheeler aims to run 240 kms in one charge, EV Industry on the growth path!

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India has a love for two-wheelers — motorcycles, mopeds, and scooters have been a primary feature on Indian roads.  But this petrol variant two wheelers create more than 60% of vehicle pollution in India. Hence, considering the love and needs of two-wheelers, the Indian government has made many provisions by incentivising the electric two wheeler segment as an environmentally friendly option.

Following the same concerns,  Hero Electric,  Bajaj Auto, Okinawa, Ather Energy, TVS Motors, and others are contributing to growing the E2W industry. And, last year Ola Electric too signed MoU with the Tamil Nadu government for an investment of Rs 2,400 crore in setting up its first 500-acre site in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, called Ola FutureFactory.

It claims to be the world’s largest scooter manufacturing facility. the Bengaluru-based company expects an initial annual capacity of 2 million units once it’s operational in 2022. Now, Ola Electric released the first teaser images of its stunning electric two-wheeler which boasts a seamless design, and a removable banana-shaped battery that is easy to carry and can be charged anywhere.

Highlighting its features, it draws power from a 3kW motor which produces 50Nm of torque. It has  LED lighting and a touchscreen TFT display. One can also control the screen from the switchgear present at both sides of the handlebar.  It would compete with the Ather 450X, Bajaj Chetak, and the TVS iQube Electric.

OLA E-scooter claims 240km range on a single charge, with three swappable battery packs measuring 1.155kWh each. The scooter has 50 litres of under-seat storage, which should accommodate two half-face helmets. Rs 1.35 Lakh is the expected Price and it could be seen on road by September 2021 end.

To keep the overall costs in check, Ola is designing, engineering, and manufacturing its own battery pack, motor, vehicle computer and software. The factory will sport over 3,000 robots working alongside 10,000 workers. The roof of the Ola factory will be covered with solar panels which will help the company to produce its own power.

As per the company’s plans, it hopes to manufacture 10 million vehicles annually or 15% of the world’s e-scooters by mid-2022. The scooter will also be exported abroad by the end of 2021. The factory will roll out one scooter every two seconds after the plant expands in 2022.

Ola Electric hopes to compete with not just local rivals Ather Energy, Hero Electric, and Bajaj Auto, but also Chinese brands including Niu Technologies. When there is competition, growth, and innovation has to be there.

Many startups have also emerged with new innovation. The pace of the growth is slow due to various reasons like Speed(E2Ws are still progressing on it, battery, Charging stations, etc. But after increasing manufacturing in India with healthy competitors and governments support, electric two-wheelers see a good future in India.