Ola Gears Up For Electric Scooter Entry With MOU For Plant in Tamil Nadu

Ola, the largest Indian ride-hailing firm is beginning its journey into EV manufacturing with a plant to make electric scooters in Tamil Nadu, India. 

The SoftBank- financed company will reportedly invest Rs. 2,400 Crores in setting up the world’s largest scooter manufacturing facility in India which will produce approximately 10,000 jobs in the country. On completion, Ola will have the capacity to produce over 2 million scooters a year under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Tamil Nadu government today.  

The firm, which has always had an eye on the optics of its announcements, the move also syncs up with the government’s Atmanirbhar movement to produce domestically.  “This will be one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the world. This factory will showcase India’s skill and talent to produce world-class products that will cater to global markets,” said Bhavish Aggarwal, Chairman and Group CEO, Ola in a statement. 

If it progresses, Ola’s factory will cater to customers not only in India but in markets around the world including Europe, Asia, Latin America, and more. The plant could also galvanize India’s electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem and establish India as a key player in the EV manufacturing space. India is already a strong global player in the two-wheeler market, with its established firms exporting all over the world, especially the developing world markets in Africa and Southeast Asia.  

The Company plans to bring many new design and software innovations to its entire product line of two-wheelers as they come to market in the coming months.

On 11th December, Ola had also announced the appointment of Julien Geffard as the Director of Go-To-Market Strategy for its electric business in Europe, to bring the first of its range of electric scooters to Europe in the coming months.  

Earlier this year Ola announced plans to hire over 2,000 people for its electric business as it rapidly builds a series of electric vehicles for consumers around the world.