Ola Launching 100,000 Electric Vehicles In The Next 12 Months

The SoftBank backed cab aggregator, Ola, announced its plan of adding 100,000 electric cars to its existing fleet. With a majority of these e vehicles being electric rickshaws, the cab aggregator wants to get this process sorted within the next 12 months as a part of the Mission Electric program.

The Bengaluru based company is aiming to get one million electric vehicles on its platform by 2021, to boost the electric vehicle ecosystem in the Country. “Three wheelers are a vital means of transportation and a source of livelihood for millions of people every day. It also represents an immediate opportunity to improve outcomes for all stakeholders while reducing pollution across towns and cities,” Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola co founder and CEO said in a statement.

Ola launched its first pilot electric vehicle program on 26 May, 2017. These pilot vehicles included electric cabs, electric auto rickshaws, electric buses, rooftop solar installations, charging stations, and battery swapping experiments. However, the pilot vehicles failed to take off when they were launched. According to several reports, Ola cab drivers did not like the long waiting time and said the charging centres were not sufficient.

Furthermore, the report also said the drivers wanted to go back to the electric vehicles. More than a dozen electric car drivers of the 20 drivers interviewed in Nagpur, have either returned their electric taxis and switched to diesel, or are planning to do so. Ola also faced several other hurdles with electric vehicles and was even forced to close one following protests from residents angered by traffic jams caused by the taxi drivers.

“The EV program in Nagpur has provided Ola with significant insights into effectively managing vehicles, batteries, and operations. The company plans to continue its experimentation with ways to optimize batteries and charging, to develop a strong business model for EV deployment in the country” the company said in a statement.

The Bengaluru based cab aggregator has also said it is in talks with several state governments to make sure the electric vehicles are deployed properly. The policies used are going to make sure the electric three wheelers are going to be as per the environmental regulations.