Ola Electric Futurefactory completes one year: The journey so far
Ola Electric is celebrating one year of its production facility, called Futurefactory, today. Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal shared moments of the celebrations, remembering the journey from the day foundation stone was laid till now.
The Ola Futurefactory is spread across 500 acres. On February 11, 2021, Ola Electric bought the land located near Chennai and began developing the facility. It was completed within a year in record time.
One of the unique aspects of the Ola Futurefactory is its employees. Walking a different path, Ola employed women-only workforce to manufacture its electric scooters, a first in the Indian automotive industry. The EV maker celebrated one year at the facility with around 2000 women employees taking part. The facility employs around 10,000 women.
Also check these Bikes
Few days ago, Ola Electric CEO had said that he is planning to hold a Futurefactory day next month. He tweeted this piece of information saying more information regarding the Futurefactory day will be shared soon. According to reports, Ola might be planning to add solar rooftop at the facility to provide power and cut down on bills.
Ola Electric began production of its S1 and S1 Pro electric scooters last year. The first e-scooter came out of the facility within six months from the start of building of the phase one of the plant. According to CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola Electric currently produces around 1,000 units every day. At full scale, the EV maker is expected to manufacture around 20 lakh electric scooters.
The journey of the Ola Futurefactory so far has not been without its share of controversies. When the EV maker started to deliver its first batch of electric scooters in December, reports claimed that the factory was only producing around 150 units a day. The report also said that Ola Futurefactory's body shop was operating at half capacity till end of last year. Even the paint shop at the facility was not up and running before the first batch rolled out.
Ola Electric had launched the S1 and S1 Pro electric scooters earlier on August 15. While the Ola S1 has been priced at ₹1 lakh (ex-showroom), the more premium version called S1 Pro has been priced at ₹1.30 lakh (ex-showroom). The S1 electric scooter has a claimed range of around 120 kms on single charge. It is available in 10 colour options, and sources power from an 8.5 kW electric motor paired with a 3.97 kWh battery pack. The S1 Pro electric scooter comes with more range of 180 kms on single charge, and has a top speed of 115 kmph.
