How Ola Electric Scooters are Contributing to a Greener India
Ola’s foray into the EV segment propelling India further towards green technologies and sustainable transport solutions to curb the challenges of pollution.Ola’s vision of converting into a more sustainable and connected future, Ola is gearing up to build a US$ 326.3 million EV plant, the world’s biggest e-scooter factory to create 10,000 jobs.Recetly Ola acquired a Netherland based company Etergo BV, Ola plans to tap the EV market backed by Japan’s Softbank. The company plans to set up this plant in Hosur district of Tamil Nadu.Achieving a significant milestone Ola has signed an agreement with the government of Tamil Nadu to invest US$ 326.3 million for setting up its first e-scooter factory at Hosur.
Ola’s future factory
Ola’s massive two wheeler factory is under construction in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.This FutureFactory will be built on a 500-acre site.Construction of the Future factory started in 2020
The company has a current capacity of 20 lakh units per annum at its factory.When fully completed, Ola Electric has stated that its manufacturing facility will have a capacity to produce 1 crore electric two-wheelers annually.Powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), driven by 3,000 robots and manned by 10,000 skilled personnel, Ola’s integrated manufacturing facility flipped for a name that said it all: The FutureFactory.
At its centre would be the Mega-block, a 43-acre, 2 million sqft giant gobbling up the bulk of the production facilities.This block also includes the paint shop, welding units, motor and general assembly.Ola’s renewable energy thrust will get its place under the sun with a massive solar roof-top over the Mega-block. Opening up at its core will be a two-acre central forest, complementing the 100-acre forest space within the factory campus.
Bhavish Aggarwal announced its upcoming battery innovation center (BIC) in Bangalore, which will be Asia's largest Cell R&D facility. Bhavesh Aggarwal said that the Battery Innovation Center will include more than 165 pieces of “unique and cutting-edge” ab equipment that will cover every component of a cell, making it one of Asia's largest and most advanced cell research and development (R&D) facilities.
Nature friendly factory
Phase 1 of the Future Factory is a steel shed of dimensions 600 m by 300 m by 17 m. Inside the shed, a pit has been dug to create a 2 acre forest on the shop floor. The ceiling of the forest area will be opened up once the soil laying is done. Instead of opening the ceiling, they can look at installing transparent sheets, so that the trees can do the job of filtering the inside factory air.Beyond the shop floor forest, there is another shed planned, of similar dimensions. There is also a 100 acre forest being planned around the main plant. The paint shop alone requires about one lakh litres of makeup water every day. 95% of the water is recycled.High on automation and robotics, the factory is looking to draw 20 per cent of its electricity needs from rooftop solar panels.
Summing up The OLA Future Factory is a huge step towards an EV revolution in India with potential of a significant worldwide impact. With sustainability and a green future at its core, the Future Factory masterplan considers green technology in design, manufacturing, process and product.Ola has got many things right with its first EV, including the specs, features, comfort, promised performance and, most importantly, the price. Another big deal is Ola Electric being one of just four companies to qualify for the government’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) Battery Storage.Ola Electric has all the makings of being a game changer, a force for positive change in the automobile industry.
