In the midst of delays in the launch of its electric two-wheeler, Ola Electric is looking to build infrastructure for charging batteries. According to Economic Times, two sources familiar with the situation claimed that the Bengaluru-based mobility firm is in advanced talks with Bharat Petroleum to install its fast chargers, known as hyperchargers, at petrol pumps across the country.
The company is also in discussions with several builders and real estate developers regarding the installation of charging stations on their properties.
An apartment management software company, Apna Complex, is another player in discussions with Ola Electric targeting residential complexes. As per sources, the company has set an internal goal of installing 140 charging stations across the country by March 2022. The company intends to open the first public charging station by next month.
According to sources intimately acquainted with the company’s plans, Ola Electric intends to leverage these charging stations by billing for the service in the long run, though it may be free initially or for the first set of buyers. According to them, the company has yet to make a decision on this.
Bhavish Aggarwal, CO-Founder, and CEO, Ola Cabs recently tweeted that the deployment of hyperchargers in cities has begun at key BPCL pumps and residential complexes. Over 4000 locations will be added by the end of the year. They are installing them throughout India and expect to have them operational in 6-8 weeks. All customers will be able to use them for free until the end of June 22.
Ola Cabs announced in April itself that it would install the world’s “widest and densest” electric two-wheeler charging infrastructure, with more than 100,000 charging stations spread across 400 cities. The company stated that it would install 5,000 charging points across 100 cities in the first year, which would more than double the country’s current charging infrastructure.
Ola also intends to open this service for other brands also if their charging cable standards are the same. After plugging, users can keep track using their app and also pay using the same.
According to the company, the Ola Hypercharger will be the fastest two-wheeler charging network. According to the company, Ola S1s can be charged to 50% capacity in 18 minutes and have a range of 75 kilometers. Ola Hyperchargers will be fully implemented across cities and will be found as standalone towers in city centers, as well as dense business districts, according to the company. It will also be installed in popular spots such as malls, IT parks, office complexes, cafes, and others, according to the company.
Ola Electric delivered its first 100 scooters without all the promised features. Over-the-air upgrades will be required to access advanced features such as the app, proximity sensors, Bluetooth, hill hold, and cruise control. After their promise to deliver the scooters in October, the company has been under tremendous pressure for their delay.
Public charging stations are required to alleviate range concerns, which is the anxiety that the battery will fail while the rider is on road, causing the rider to stop in the middle of a journey. It is one of the most significant barriers to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
About Ola Cabs
Ola is India’s leading mobility platform and one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies, serving more than 250 cities in India, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The Ola app provides ride-hailing solutions by connecting consumers to drivers and a diverse range of vehicles such as bikes, metered taxis, auto-rickshaws, and cabs, allowing hundreds of millions of consumers and over 1.5 million driver-partners accessibility and transparency.
For more information, visit https://olaelectric.com/
