tech2 News StaffApr 22, 2021 20:58:44 IST
Ola Electric today announced it will establish the Ola Hypercharger network for its upcoming electric two-wheelers, the first of which will be the Ola e-scooter that’s set for launch in the coming months. Interestingly, this announcement from Ola Electric came on Earth Day 2021, and exactly a day after Hero MotoCorp – the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer – announced its tie-up with Taiwanese e-scooter manufacturer Gogoro and their plans to build a battery-swapping network for their upcoming electric two-wheelers in the country.
In its first year of operations, Ola Electric will build over 5,000 charging points across 400 Indian cities. Image: Ola Electric
Ola says its Hypercharger network will be “the widest and densest electric two-wheeler charging network in the world”, as the company plans to have over 100,000 charging points across 400 cities in the time to come. For now, Ola will set up over 5,000 charging points across 100 cities in India with an aim to double the existing charging infrastructure in the country.
With its own charging network, Ola Electric is also promising rapid charge times. Using the Hypercharger, owners of the Ola electric scooter will be able to recharge their scooters to 50 percent in a mere 18 minutes, which Ola says will provide a range of up to 75 kilometres.
Ola Electric’s standalone charging towers will feature automated multi-level parking. Image: Ola Electric
Ola says it will install its Hyperchargers across major cities in city centres, business complexes, stand-alone towers (with automated multi-level parking) as well as in malls, IT parks, cafes and more. A dedicated Ola Electric smartphone app will let owners monitor the scooter’s state of charge in real time, map routes that have Hyperchargers along the way and also pay for the charging online, eliminating the need to pay in cash or via card.
Additionally, Ola Electric will also provide buyers of its electric scooter with a home charger, which the company says doesn’t require installation, and will let owners plug into a regular wall socket for overnight charging.
Ola Electric commenced construction of its mega EV manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu in February. The plant – which is expected to be operational by June this year – is billed the world’s largest two-wheeler production facility, spread out over a total of 500 acres of land.
Ola Electric says it will have a total of 3,000 AI-powered robots in the facility, and while it will have an annual production capacity of two million vehicles by June 2021, that number will rise to ten million vehicles by 2022. At that point, Ola Electric estimates it will be producing a new two-wheeler every two seconds from ten production lines. Eventually, Ola Electric aims to produce electric four-wheelers as well, and will also export its products to other markets.
