Ola’s first electric car will be made at the company’s upcoming mother plant in Tamil Nadu
It is no secret that Ola Electric, soon after the launch of its S1 electric scooter, has been eyeing the Indian electric four wheeler segment which is projected to have an immense potential. It appears that, even as the company is facing several complaints related to the quality, reliability and delivery timeline issues of its S1 scooter, developing activities of the upcoming electric car are proceeding in full swing.
On the sidelines of the ‘Ola Customer Day’ event held at the site of the company’s upcoming facility near Krishnagiri, TN, the EV startup released a teaser video of its upcoming premium electric cars. The 30 second teaser shows teaser of more than one Ola electric car.
OLA Electric Car – Hatch, Sedan, SUV Teased ?
New Ola electric car teaser gives us a sneak peak of not 1, but 3 electric cars. Hat tip to automotive enthusiast Snehal Praveen for the update. One of the upcoming Ola electric car, as the teaser indicates, could be a low-slung sporty sedan with a coupe roof-line and modern design. Other two could be an electric SUV / coupe and hatchback.
The Ola sedan takes a lot of aerodynamic liberty in its exterior styling which would otherwise be challenging in a conventional IC engine car like an extremely low slung nose. Salient design features include a wedged shaped front fascia, an LED lighting signature that runs across the width of the car, a swooping roofline, and Kia-like rear fascia.
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No further details have been shared as of now but Ola Electric’s CEO Bhavish Aggarwal stated that more details will be revealed on August 15. There were reports that Ola has hired ex-Mahindra designer – Ramkripa Ananthan, who designed the current XUV700, Thar, XUV300. Ola Electric’s venture into the passenger car segment is expected in about 2 year’s time. That said, the product development process is usually hurried in a startup setting compared to a traditional OEM.
What to expect?
For instance, basing the product on an already existing electric skateboard from any of the several international mobility players would considerably shorten the lead time. The powertrain configuration is anyone’s guess as of now, and we think it is going to be one motor at each wheel, supported by a lithium-ion battery pack with a capacity of around 60-80 kWh.
Aided by an impressively low aerodynamic co-efficient and frontal area, such a battery pack could be good enough for a certified range of over 500 km. A 0-100 kph time of less than 7 seconds and a top-speed in excess of 150 kmph would be a nice place to start in terms of performance. These numbers might be similar for their sedan, hatchback and SUV, or they could be different.
New Ola electric cars could be positioned in various segments of the Indian electric vehicle space. Ola hatchback could be the most affordable, above which could be their sedan and on top will be the electric SUV offering. One can expect a lengthy equipment list complete with ADAS features.
Demand for electric vehicles is on the rise. Major OEMs like Tata, Kia, Mahindra, Hyundai have committed to launch more new EVs in India. Even premium brands like Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, etc have joined the EV revolution. With Tesla reportedly putting their India launch plans on hold, things could work in favour of Ola Electric cars.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
