Upcoming Ola Electric Car is expected to be mostly designed and developed in-house
Ola Electric has been hitting homeruns after homeruns. Since their acquisition of Amsterdam-based Etergo scooter company, they have been in news pretty much like clockwork. Ola FutureFactory was set up in Tamil Nadu in December 2020. In just one and a half years, they have redefined what an electric scooter should be.
Sure, one of the S1 Pro has been subjected to fire hazards and many S1 Pro owners have reported a lot of niggles. But Ola has pushed on like a pawn in a Chess game, never taking a step back. Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal is ambitious and has delivered on most promises he made with S1 Pro. Biggest battery? Check. Longest range? Check. Gimmicks? Check. Cruise Control? Umm, not yet. But let’s cut some slack for now.
Recently, Bhavish teased three Ola Electric Cars, one of which is a low-slung sedan and the other two may be an SUV and a hatchback. Amidst all the production hassles of the S1 Pro electric scooter, four-wheeled PVs have been Ola’s ambition since day one and Ola’s mother factory is said to be designed keeping this in mind. Ola is expected to reveal more on August 15 and electric car production is expected to start in two years’ time.
Ola Electric Car Will Be Sportiest
Two years to design and develop an electric car is a challenge, to say the least. Even Tesla didn’t go full regalia and make Model S to dominate the market. No. Tesla actually started off with the Roadster (1st gen) which was produced in limited numbers for a very high price. To make a Roadster, Tesla licensed Elise from British sports car manufacturer Lotus. Then swapped out the engine with a battery and motor.
To research, design, develop and manufacture a full-fledged car, will take years. Bhavish knows this. Ola bought Etergo and manufactured the same thing in India. All the research, design, and development were already done. To build an electric car from scratch and get to production in just a two-year timeline is next to impossible.
But Ola has a trend of keeping up promises. They don’t bite more than they can chew. Is it possible that Ola will buy an electric car startup that has done most of the work already? Or at least license an already developed product that they will base their EV on or manufacture in India? Only time will tell. For now, Bhavish has hit us with a new teaser stating that they’re going to build the sportiest car ever built in India.
What To Expect?
It might seem like tall claims. But let us take a look at what we can expect from Ola’s stables in two years. In March 2022, Ola Electric made a multi-million USD investment in StoreDot, an Israel-based company specializing in battery technologies. It is said that both companies are jointly developing XFC (Xtreme Fast Charging) battery technology and the recently teased indigenous battery by Bhavish might be the brainchild of this venture.
We have also heard that Ex-Mahindra designer Ramkripa Ananthan, who designed XUV700, Thar and XUV300, has joined Ola team. We can expect a minimalist, yet techy vehicle from Ola. It can be underpromised but over-deliver like we’ve seen with S1 Pro. It will have a big battery and long range to back it up. Batteries will be indigenously designed and developed in-house. It promises to be the sportiest car ever made in India. If you think about it, India doesn’t make sporty cars at all. So, yeah. Claims might be true.
* Disclaimer – Render of Ola Electric Car above has been created by Pratyush Rout based on a teaser shared by Ola. The render is not commissioned or endorsed by Ola Electric.
Source: Electric - rushlane.com
