Ola developing in-house capabilities for manufacturing batteries

Jul 26,2022
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Till date, Ola Electric gets battery cells from South Korea-based LG Chem for use in its electric scooters.

In fact battery cells are some of the most expensive components in an EV, almost 30% of cost-cutting could be done if they are manufactured internally.

According to Bhavish Aggarwal, the CEO of OLA, it aims to develop the in-house capability by 2026. The sample battery cell is similar to those used in its e-scooters nowadays. The company will start with a 20GWh original cell manufacturing capacity with 60 localization to feed its near- term requirements rather than being completely dependent on LGChem. Ola Electric was shortlisted for the government’s Rs18,000- crore product-linked incentive( PLI) scheme for producing 130 GWh worth batteries. Ola's 500- acre Futurefactory near Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu will ultimately have a periodic manufacturing capacity of 10 million two-wheelers, including scooters ande-bikes, one million buses, and 100 GWh of battery cells.

Details similar as energy viscosity, energy capacity, and battery chemistry of the Ola battery are still unknown at the moment. But it's possible that the company starts off with producing certified battery tech in-house before it branches out to newer and different technologies.