Ola makes foray into electric motorcycle, launches 3 models

Krishnagiri (Tamil Nadu), Aug 15 (PTI) Ride-hailing to electric mobility player Ola Group on Thursday announced its foray into the electric motorcycle segment with the launch of three models and two more in the pipeline.

The group has also rebranded its ride-hailing service as Ola Consumer, announced a partnership with ONDC and launched automated warehousing solutions to cater to quick commerce requirements. Besides, Ola said it will bring to the market the first indigenously designed and developed family of chips for AI, general computing and Edge by 2026 under its Krutrim venture.

Speaking at Sankalp 2024 – Ola’s annual launch event, Ola Founder Bhavish Aggarwal said currently, two-thirds of India’s two-wheeler market consists of motorcycles, and it was imperative for the company to enter the segment.

“We have already been successful in accelerating the EV adoption in the scooter segment, and with our futuristic portfolio of products, we are now focused on supercharging the EV penetration through our motorcycles,” he said.

Aggarwal also said Ola’s indigenously developed ‘Bharat 4680’ cell and battery pack will be integrated with its own vehicles starting Q1 FY26. The company so showcased its all-new Gen-3 platform for two-wheelers.

“Coupled with the integration of our cells in our vehicles starting early next year, we are determined to chart a new course for mass EV adoption across India,” Aggarwal added.

Ola Electric’s bike portfolio under the Roadster range comprises Roaster X, Roadster, and Roadster Pro with prices starting at Rs 74,999, Rs 1,04,999, and Rs 1,99,999 respectively. Deliveries of these bikes will begin from Q4FY25 onwards. Roadster Pro delivery will begin in Q4FY26.

The company also teased two new motorcycles.

Aggarwal said India is one of the fastest-growing digital economies and the company is stepping up efforts to provide consumer access to the best products and services without barriers of traditional commerce.

On the partnership with ONDC, he said the latter will be the UPI moment for commerce and will make a democratic ecosystem that will bring down the cost of commerce.

Ola food and grocery on ONDC surpassed 40,000 orders per day in Bengaluru in a pilot concluded in 2024.

He said with automated warehousing Ola Consumer is looking at revolutionizing the warehousing space that supercharges the commerce supply chain.

Ola also plans to deploy 1 lakh 2W EVs throughout the next two years.

Aggarwal said Krutrim will design and produce India’s first AI silicon chip by 2026 that is custom-built for complex AI workloads.

The chip will enable the development of faster and more efficient AI systems, marking a major milestone in achieving India’s technological sovereignty, he added.