Aiming to make India a manufacturing hub for electric vehicles, mobility platform Ola on Monday signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Tamil Nadu government for an investment of Rs 2,400 crore in setting up its first factory in the state. Upon completion, Ola says 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 of an AtmaNirbhar Bharat, Ola says the new factory will catalyse the reduction of India’s import dependence in a key future sector like electric vehicles, boost local manufacturing, create jobs and also improve the technical expertise in the country.
“The factory will also galvanise India’s electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem and establish India as a key player in the EV manufacturing space,” the company said in a statement. 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.
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. This product 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,” the statement added. 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.
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.”
Excited to announce the world’s largest scooter factory in Tamil Nadu. An investment of 2,400cr, it'll create 10,000 jobs & showcase India's capability to manufacture global products. I thank honorable @CMOTamilNadu for his vision & support. https://t.co/LELVrxGXln @OlaElectric pic.twitter.com/4pvfB23MlO
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) December 14, 2020
Earlier this year, Ola announced plans to hire over 2,000 people for its EV business as it rapidly builds a suite of electric and smart urban mobility solutions for consumers around the world. Recently, the company also roped in General Motors veteran Jose Pinheiro to head its global manufacturing and operations.