The World’s Largest Scooter Factory Will Be Set Up In India!

At the moment, the electric two-wheeler market in India is largely populated by mediocre Chinese imports, but that is gradually changing. Small startups like Ather and even big manufacturers like Bajaj and TVS are indigenously developing and building electric scooters, and adding to that list soon will be Ola. Yes, the same Ola that you use for cabs, except this will be the company’s electric vehicle arm, Ola Electric.

To that end, it is setting up what will become the world’s largest scooter factory, right here in Tamil Nadu. An MoU has already been signed with the Tamil Nadu government. Once up and running, the plant will have an initial annual capacity of 2 million units. 10,000 jobs will be created to achieve this, and the whole project will cost Rs 2,400 crore. The first scooter to be manufactured at the upcoming plant will be the Ola Electric AppScooter unveiled earlier this year. Full details are available in the press release below:

National, December 14, 2020: With an aim to make India a manufacturing hub for electric vehicles, Ola, one of the world’s leading mobility platforms, today signed the MoU with the Tamil Nadu government for an investment of 2,400 crores in setting up its first factory in the state. Upon completion, the factory will create almost 10,000 jobs and will be the world’s largest scooter manufacturing facility, which will initially have an annual capacity of 2 million units.

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, Ola’s factory is an important step in making an AtmaNirbhar Bharat. It will catalyze reduction of India’s import dependence in a key future sector like electric vehicles, boost local manufacturing, create jobs as well as improve the technical expertise in the country.

The factory will also galvanize India’s electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem and establish India as a key player in the EV manufacturing space. Ola believes that India with its unique skill-sets, manpower and demography is well placed to be a global hub for the cutting edge manufacturing of EVs.

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 company is gearing up to launch the first of its range of highly anticipated electric scooters in the coming months.

Bhavish Aggarwal, Chairman and Group CEO, Ola, said, ‘‘We are excited to announce our plans to set up the world’s largest scooter factory. This is a significant milestone for Ola and a proud moment for our country as we rapidly progress towards realising our vision of moving the world to sustainable mobility solutions across shared and owned mobility. 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.”

The new manufacturing plant aligns with Ola’s global vision to move mobility into a more sustainable, accessible and connected future.

The factory will produce Ola’s upcoming range of two wheeler products starting with Ola’s electric scooter which has already won several prestigious design and innovation awards around the world including Marketing Innovation award at CES and the German Design Award. It features many firsts including a beautiful and seamless design, unique removable banana battery that is easy to carry and can be charged anywhere as well as intelligent software that elevates the entire consumer experience of owning a scooter. Ola plans to bring many such design and software innovations to its entire product line of two wheelers as they come to market in the coming months.