Ola electric revealed the first images of the Ola branded scooter (Etergo Appscooter rebranded).
More details about the upcoming factory:
-
Phase 1 of the factory to be completed by June 2021 and it will have a capacity of 2 million units annually. The factory will be built in four phases, and the company says this will be completed by June 2022, by when the company will have a capacity to make 10 million units annually.
-
Ola will start with a two-wheeler, then go to motor-bikes, and eventually 4-wheelers.
-
Ola will work with investors Hyundai and Kia for supply chain, manufacturing and go-to-market partnerships.
-
Ola said it will design and engineer the battery pack, the motor, the vehicle computer and vehicle software. The company will be importing lithium-ion cell from markets such as Korea. The factory will have ten lines and will engage 3000 robots and have other automated features, while also employing 10,000 people. The factory will be able to push out one scooter every 2 seconds.
Scooter details:
- It will have 2 battery packs and can be charged in 1 hour.
- Battery packs will be manufactured in house while battery cells will be sourced from South Korea.
- Supplies of the scooter will be located on the premises of the factory and will contribute 90% of the value of the vehicle.
I feel the timelines are overly optimistic, but I am glad that they are going big. That is the only way to bring the prices down. I think they will aggressively price the scooter, otherwise there is no reason to setup 2 million unit capacity. Ola Electric CEO mentioned that it will be priced competitively with existing petrol scooters and earlier rumored pegged it at less than Rs 1 lakh. If its true then it will be a game changer for the Indian two wheeler market.
Ola is saying the scooter will have 2 battery packs. As per the Etergo appscooter specs, each module will have 1.15 kWh capacity means 2.3 kWh total capacity. I wonder if they increase the capacity of each pack or will provide an option with 3 packs.