Ola Now Plans to Build World's Largest Scooter-Charging Network in India

Ola Electric Mobility intends to build a nationwide charging network for the electric scooters that are expected to roll out from its massive Bangalore factory this summer.

The Ola Hypercharger Network would be the world’s largest, densest two-wheeler charging system, that consists of 100,000 high-speed charging points in more than 400 Indian cities, reveals the company. In the first year, the startup would set up close to 5,000 of the points in 100 cities that could doubling such infrastructure all over the country. Its scooters will also be bundled with a home-charging kit.

Adequate charging infrastructure is crucial to promote electric-vehicle adoption in India, which has lagged far behind China and Europe. If Ola Electric prefers to sell the 10 million vehicles it should produce a year in the Bangalore e-scooter factory -- the world’s biggest, the startup may have to alleviate consumer anxiety about pricing, driving range and availability of charging points.

The startup is backed by SoftBank Group Corp. and Tiger Global Management which states that its system may take about 18 minutes to replace an electric-scooter battery to 50 percent charge, which would enable a drive of 75 kilometers (47 miles). The chargers would be located in city centers, business districts, office towers and other crowded areas. Customers will be able to pay and track charging progress via an app, states the company, which will build the system with partners.
In a statement, Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola’s co-founder and chief executive officer says, “We are re-imagining the entire user experience of owning an electric vehicle. By creating the world’s largest and densest two-wheeler charging network, we will dramatically accelerate customer adoption of electric vehicles.”

However, Ola states that its scooters would be priced “aggressively” to make them affordable to the Indian buyers. The company is also intending to export it to foreign markets.