Ola Electric has announced the start of construction of its upcoming battery Gigafactory, which promises to be the largest EV battery manufacturing facility in India. Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO – Ola Electronics, shared the update in a tweet while also sharing an image of the groundbreaking initiative. The new Gigafactory aligns with Ola’s plan to become a full-fledged player in the electric vehicle sector with the company developing multiple two- and even four-wheelers in the electric vehicle segment.
Ola Electric’s mobile Gigafactory is located in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu and promises to have a production capacity of 10 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year. The upcoming production facility will be capable of producing battery cells for electric vehicles as well as other battery solutions. So far, India does not have its own battery maker on a large scale to compete with rivals from China, Taiwan and South Korea.
Also read: Ola Electric launches first indigenous battery, mass production from 2023
The tweet from Bhavish Aggarwal read: “Work has started and is running at full speed on our mobile gigafactory! It will be India’s largest cell plant and among the world’s largest. And at the heart of #endICEage!”
The Indian government is also promoting electric mobility and has launched incentives under the PLI scheme for those venturing into the sector, including in battery manufacturing. In addition to Ola Electric, Reliance Industries is also expected to set up a battery production facility in the country, while the Bengaluru-based startup Log9 Materials becomes the first Indian player to start local battery production in India.
Local production of batteries will help to limit the supply chain constraints that the auto industry is facing seriously for electric vehicles. It also helps achieve higher economies of scale with lower import and logistical costs for future battery purchases. That said, Ola’s mobile Gigafactory is still a few years away from being operational.
Date of first publication: May 26, 2023, 19:53 pm IST
