In the run up to its launch, Ola chairman and Group CEO Bhavish Aggarwal recently took the Ola electric scooter for a ride in Bangalore city. The eco-friendly scooter, which is based on the Etergo Appscooter, is likely to be launched in the second half of July. 

As is known, Ola is building a mega electric vehicle factory in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. Ola claims that, upon completion, the factory will create almost 10,000 jobs and will be the world’s largest scooter manufacturing facility, which will have an annual capacity of two million units. The company also says the factory will be the most modern, and most sustainable two-wheeler factory in the world, and that in full capacity, will be capable of producing a scooter every 2 seconds.

It may be recollected that in May 2020, Ola Electric Mobility acquired Etergo BV, an innovative electric scooter OEM founded in 2014 and based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, thereby announcing its entry into the premium electric two-wheeler market, both globally and nationally.

In a statement today, the company said, “The Ola scooter is a leap-frog product, packed with several industry leading innovations including the motor, the battery, the vehicle computer, and several other advanced features through innovative software – all designed by Ola.” However, the company has not released any specific details about the Ola e-scooter's technical specifications.  

Commenting on the ride, Aggarwal said, “It was such a pleasure taking the Ola scooter out for a spin and putting it through its paces. Its speed, range, maneuverability, ride and handling, and of course its design, and the incredible technology we’ve packed into this – all make it a game-changing vehicle and a beauty to ride. I look forward to bringing this to our customers soon. ”  

The company says the Ola vehicle engineering team has been testing the e-scooter extensively for the past few months, where the scooter has returned best-in-class range, speed and performance.

Disruptive pricing likely
Given that the Ola e-scooter plant has an installed capacity of two million units and that the product itself will be high on localisation, economies of scale will enable aggressive pricing. The recent FAME II revision has also enhanced the subsidy on electric scooters and with Ola also targeting premium 125cc petrol-engined scooters, one can expect the company to come up with a disruptive pricing strategy.

In another development, Bhavish Aggarwal met the chief minister of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin (pictured below) and briefed him on the development of the Ola factory.