Key facts to know about Ola factory, world's largest for two-wheelers

Ride-hailing aggregator Ola announced in December 2020 that it will manufacture electric scooters in India. The ride-sharing provider signed a ₹2,400 MoU with the Tamil Nadu government in December to form the largest two-wheeler manufacturing plant in the state and completed the land acquisition for the plant in January 2021.

Ola on Thursday has announced that phase one production at this facility will commence within few months. Before Ola becomes two-wheeler manufacture from a ride-hailing aggregator platform, here are the key facts about the Ola electric scooter and the mega-factory.

The Ola e-scooter

Ola Cabs acquired the Netherlands-based electric scooter company Etergo in May 2020 and the upcoming Ola electric scooter is expected to be based on Etergo AppScooter that is powered by a swappable high-energy-density battery and claimed to be capable of running 240 kilometre on a single charge. The Etergo AppScooter is claimed to be accelerating 0-45 kmph in 3.9 seconds. It has an under-seat storage capacity of 50 litres.

World’s largest two-wheeler plant

Ola claims the upcoming plant will be the world’s largest two-wheeler factory built on a 500-acre area in Tamil Nadu. Construction of the plant has already commenced. The facility will be built with an investment of ₹2,400 crore.

Over 10 million man-hours to make the factory operational

Ola claims that the plant will be operational soon with the first phase of electric two-wheeler production to begin within a few months. The company also claims that more than 10 million man-hours have been planned to make the factory operational in record time.

20 lakh initial production capacity

Ola’s electric two-wheeler factory will be able to roll out 20 lakh electric scooters in the initial phase, claims the company. In Phase-1, the plant is claimed to be serving as Ola’s global manufacturing hub for a range of electric two-wheelers. The electric two-wheelers will be sold across India and exported to international markets like Europe, UK, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand.

10,000 job creation on card

Ola claims that the mega factory will create 10,000 jobs, despite the incorporation of Industry 4.0 technologies. It also claims that the plant is being built with a focus on sustainability, for which it will have a large forest area within the site. The excavated soil and rocks are claimed to be reused within the factory.

Automated factory

The Ola electric two-wheeler plant is claimed to be the most automated in India. Ola says the plant will be powered by Ola’s own AI engine and tech stack that will be deeply integrated into all factory operations. The factory is claimed to be employing 5,000 robots and automated guided vehicles when the factory goes fully operational.