Ola to put 10,000 EVs on road within next 12 months

Ola aims to develop Mission: Electric as a platform to bring one million EVs on the road by 2021.

Indian cab aggregator Ola has announced its ‘Mission: Electric’ initiative, along with a commitment to place 10,000 e-rickshaws in its service in the next 12 months. The company plans to bring a million electric vehicles (EVs) on Indian roads by 2021.

Building on its EV pilot in Nagpur, Ola will work with driver-partners, cities, vehicle manufacturers, and battery companies to make sustainable technologies cost-effective and viable in daily mobility. Ola launched its first electric vehicle project in Nagpur on May 26, 2017. The project includes electric cabs, electric auto rickshaws, electric buses, rooftop solar installations, charging stations, and battery swapping experiments.

Ola claims that the Nagpur program has provided it with significant insights into effectively managing vehicles, batteries, and operations. The company plans to continue its experimentation with ways to optimise batteries and charging, to develop a strong business model for EV deployment in the country.

Ola is in discussion with several state governments to create an appropriate policy environment to deploy electric three wheelers. The company is also talking to OEM partners and EV innovators globally to bring vehicles on the road in a planned and phased manner. With the addition of 10,000 vehicles across three cities this year, Ola claims that it is quickly set to become one of the largest EV fleet operators in the world.

On the announcement of Mission: Electric, Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO of Ola said, “Three wheelers are a vital means of transportation and a source of livelihood for millions of people every day. It also represents an immediate opportunity to improve outcomes for all stakeholders while reducing pollution across towns and cities. Less than a year ago, we launched India’s first multi-modal electric pilot in Nagpur. After more than 4 million electric km traveled and many lessons learned, we are significantly expanding our commitment to electrify mobility in India. Ola leads by example, and we look forward to working with state governments and other partners to introduce accessible, affordable, and sustainable mobility solutions at scale”.