Govt has provided a platform to leverage, industry should now commit to EVs: Ola CEO

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said the government has been doing a lot to promote electric vehicles, and now it is for the auto industry to adopt and commit to electric vehicls (EVs).

Earlier today, Ola Electric launched its first electric scooter, Ola S1. The Ola S1 electric scooter would come in two trims -- S1 and S1 Pro -- carrying a price tag of Rs 99,999 and Rs 1,29,999, respectively.  

"We have to now as an industry look ahead, reject petrol, and commit to electric. The industry, not just the OEMs, has to invest to produce components that EVs need. The government has provided a very nice platform for industry to leverage, and it's now up to industry to genuinely take the mantle and invest in building the right technologies," Aggarwal told Economic Times.

Also Read: Ola Electric scooter to have a starting price of Rs 99,999; Check out details

On choosing Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu as the site for Ola's Future Factory, which will produce the e-scooters, Aggarwal said the company chose the state as it has the "best talent ecosystem". He said Ola is also setting up a supplier park near the factory and a large number of its suppliers will set up shop there.

However, the company will also look at other states to build its other Future Factories, Aggarwal was quoted as saying.

On cell manufacturing, Aggarwal said Ola wants to partner with companies to create a ecosystem for it in India. "It's a core component of the vehicle and again we want to partner and create that ecosystem here in India. The government has also come up with a very encouraging PLI scheme for domestic cell manufacturing. We're exploring all our options, and we will definitely be doing something to help accelerate domestic cell manufacturing...," Aggarwal said.

The Ola CEO also called for more investments by the industry in EVs. "The technology is here, it is real and it will leave everybody behind. If it needs more investments, we should make more investments, because technology is the only fundamental truth of life, and it only moves in one direction - forward," he added.

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