Ola Electric has started the construction of what it claims is India’s biggest gigafactory.
The company installed the first pillar of its cell factory in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu.
It claims the facility will be one of the fastest cell factories built globally.
Spread across 115 acres, the Ola Gigafactory will begin operations by early next year with an initial capacity of 5 GWh which will be further expanded in phases to 100 GWh at full capacity.
Ola Electric claims that upon commencement of operations, this would be India’s biggest cell factory, and at full capacity, will be one of the world’s largest cell manufacturing facilities.
The company has also invested and has been testing Israel’s StoreDot extremely fast charge capable cells, that can be fully charged in under 10 minutes.
Bhavish Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Ola said that “This is a proud moment for us as we installed the first pillar of our gigafactory today. Our gigafactory will be a major milestone in India’s electrification journey, bringing us closer to making India a global EV hub. With our focus on innovation, technology and manufacturing at scale, we are committed to driving the future of electric and #EndICEAge.”
Ola says it has also invested heavily in cell and battery research and development and has set up one of the world’s largest and most advanced cell R&D facilities in Bengaluru.
Equipped with cutting-edge technology, Ola’s Battery Innovation Center is the cornerstone for core cell tech development and battery innovation.
The company has also recently signed an MoU with the government of Tamil Nadu to expand its manufacturing capabilities across two-, four-wheelers and cells.
As part of the MoU, Ola will set up an EV Hub which will house advanced cell and electric vehicle manufacturing facilities, vendor & supplier parks, and the larger ancillary ecosystem for EVs at a single location.