SoftBank-backed cab aggregator Ola declared that it aims to add 10,000 electric vehicles, a majority being e-rickshaws, to its platform over the next 12 months as part of its ‘Mission Electric’ programme.
Ola is aiming to get one million electric vehicles on its platform by 2021 to boost the electric vehicle ecosystem in the country. Ola’s EV project in Nagpur in May last year included electric cabs, electric auto rickshaws, electric buses, rooftop solar installations, charging stations, and battery swapping experiments.
In an interaction with Economic Times, Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola co-founder and CEO informed that Ola is significantly expanding their commitment to electrify mobility in India. He also informed that Ola is looking at working with various state governments and other partners to introduce accessible, affordable, and sustainable mobility solutions at scale.
The recent failure of Ola’s electric vehicle program is Nagpur provided the Bengaluru based company significant insights into effectively managing vehicles, batteries, and operations and 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.
The English daily also stated that Ola is in discussion with “several state governments to create an appropriate policy environment to deploy electric three-wheelers apart from talking to OEM partners and EV innovators globally to bring vehicles on the road in a planned and phased manner.
