Ola unveils indigenously made li-ion cell

Ola will begin the mass production of this cell, NMC 2170, from its upcoming Gigafactory in Chennai by 2023, the company said.

Ola will begin the mass production of its cell by 2023 | Photo Credit: Ola

Ola Electric, India’s largest electric vehicles company has unveiled indigenously made lithium-ion cell. 

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Nickel Cylindrical Ola Cell uses NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) on the cathode side, and Graphite and Silicon on the anode side. 

The use of specific chemistry & materials enables the cell to pack more energy in a given space and also improves the overall life cycle of the cell, Ola said in a release.

Ola will begin the mass production of this cell, NMC 2170, from its upcoming Gigafactory in Chennai by 2023, the company said.

India has recently allocated Ola a 20GWh capacity under the ACC PLI scheme for developing advanced cells in India.

The company is setting up a cell manufacturing facility with an initial capacity of upto 20 GWh.

It is also recruiting top cell R&D talent from around the globe, and plans to hire 500 PhDs and engineers.

The company aims to create an integrated Ola Electric Vehicles hub.

“Having a robust local EV ecosystem is important for India to become a global EV hub,” Founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said.

Ola’s announcement comes after a series of user complaints about issues with its electric scooters launched in 2021. 

Users have about a sudden battery drain while display shows that the vehicle is charged. Other issues include sudden drop in speed, and fault in electric start switch.

Users have also complained about poor customer service and roadside assistance.