‘Dumb mechanical devices’ can wait, Ola Electric CEO has plans for flying cars

Ola Electric has revealed big and boisterous plans to change the mobility landscape of India, a country where penetration of personal vehicles among masses remains significantly low. Ola Electric CEO Bhavish Aggarwal recently revealed that his company has plans of taking the lead in changing the scope and scale of personal mobility and has plans to roll out more e-scooters, e-bikes, drones and, wait for it, even flying cars.

Now while it may seem like an audacious claim, if not outlandish, to suggest that a flying car may be in the offing, Aggarwal is clear that the potential to change the way people travel in the country is enormous. He also believes that the current crop of vehicles and the technology used is dated. "Our EVs are smart, connected AI machines and will leapfrog current personal vehicles that are dumb mechanical devices. They will serve diverse needs through a variety of form factors including kick scooters, e-bikes and yes even drones and flying cars," he wrote in a blog post.

Ola Electric has already launched its debut product with the S1 electric scooter receiving a solid response in recent times. The company sold electric scooters worth ₹1,100 crore in just two days of online purchase window. Aggarwal believes that electric vehicles have several advantages over conventional vehicles and can take the penetration of personal vehicles to around 40% in India. He especially underlines the factors pertaining to affordability - to purchase and maintain, and benefits for the environment considering these are zero emission options.

Ola Electric plans to have its under construction FutureFactory in Tamil Nadu as the epicenter of what the company refers to as a revolution in India's mobility space. The facility will be the largest in the world for electric scooters and will have have a women-only workforce with around 10,000 personnel. This would also make it the world's largest factory with only women as staff members.