Ola Electric developing solid-state batteries, says chairman

02 Jul 2024 CW Team

Ola Electric, an Indian electric scooter manufacturer backed by SoftBank Group, is developing solid-state batteries and plans to power its vehicles with its own cells by next year, according to founder and chairman Bhavish Aggarwal.

Aggarwal mentioned that the company is in the early stages of experimenting with solid-state batteries. He anticipates that Ola's electric scooters, among the best-selling in India, will be powered by these cells when commercial production starts early next year at their cell 'gigafactory' in Southern Tamil Nadu.

The gigafactory, owned by a unit of Ola Electric, has been chosen for the government's battery manufacturing incentive scheme. Solid-state batteries are expected to provide improved safety, a longer lifespan, and faster charging compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries, which use flammable liquid electrolytes. However, mass adoption of solid-state batteries has been challenging due to constraints in raw material availability, complex manufacturing processes, and high costs.

Japan's Toyota Motor, the world's largest automaker, is a major advocate of solid-state batteries and plans to launch them globally in the next few years.

Currently, Ola does not produce its own cells and sources them from South Korea's LG Energy Solution and China's Contemporary Amperex Technology. Localising cell manufacturing is considered a crucial step in reducing the upfront costs of electric vehicles, as cell sourcing is one of the biggest expenses for most EV makers.

Ola has started manufacturing the more efficient 4680 form of battery cells, but only for testing purposes. These cells are known to be more efficient than the widely used 2170 cells, but many companies, including Tesla, have faced challenges in scaling up production.

Infrastructure Urban

09 Mar 2026

Flender Inaugurates Wind Gearbox Test Rig In Chennai

Chennai, 6 March 2026: Flender has inaugurated a 13.5 MW wind turbine gearbox test rig at its Walajabad facility near Chennai, marking the installation of the largest test rig of its kind in India. The facility was inaugurated on 5 March in the presence of Andreas Evertz, CEO, Flender Group; Lars Wiegemann, Vice President – Wind Gears; and Vinod Shetty, CEO, Flender India.The test rig has been developed to support testing and validation of wind turbine gearboxes, strengthening the company’s capabilities in the renewable energy sector. The commissioning was completed within three months thr..

BMW Industries partners with IOCL for PNG supply at Bokaro plant

BMW Industries has entered into a strategic partnership with Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) for the supply of Piped Natural Gas (PNG), reinforcing its commitment to adopting cleaner and more efficient energy sources for its operations.The agreement was signed at the Eastern Region Pipelines (ERPL) headquarters in Kolkata. The partnership is expected to support the company’s upcoming manufacturing facility in Bokaro by facilitating the use of natural gas as a primary energy source.According to the company, the adoption of PNG will help enhance operational efficiency while also contributing to ..

Bombay Realty Secures RERA for Three ICC Tower in South Mumbai

Bombay Realty, the real estate arm of Bombay Dyeing and part of the Wadia Group, has received Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) certification for Three ICC – Wing A, the latest luxury residential tower at Island City Center in Mumbai’s Dadar.The RERA registration marks a key milestone in the development timeline and reinforces the company’s focus on regulatory transparency, timely project delivery, and high construction standards.Following the success of One ICC and Two ICC, the upcoming Three ICC tower represents the next phase of the Island City Center development. The project ai..