Ola launches electric cab service in London

Ridesharing company Ola on Thursday announced that it is launching a new electric vehicle category on its platform. This will allow riders to specifically book rides in a fully electric vehicle.

The category, called Ola EV, is a global first for Ola and will be available across London from Thursday and over time will roll out to other cities around the world where Ola is operational.

The company said that the Ola EV category will cost riders the same as a comfort category on the Ola app. Ola EV has 700 drivers across London.

Marc Rozendal, Managing Director, Ola UK, said: “Since launching in the UK, Ola has consistently looked to innovate and help solve the toughest mobility challenges. The launch of Ola EV is another great example, offering riders and drivers the opportunity to play their part in the journey to emission free rides. I am especially proud of the initiatives we are putting in place to help drivers make the switch to fully electric vehicles and that we have been able to do this at no extra cost to riders.”

The Bengaluru-based company has been going heavily the electric way. Ola’s electric mobility business will have its manufacturing base in Hosur (Tamil Nadu) and there are reports that Ola will set up a global design centre for an electric four-wheeler centre in Bengaluru. There are also plans to give customers charging infrastructure to customers for cars.

The Ola Futurefactory in Hosur will be the world’s largest two-wheeler factory when fully operational at 10 million-a-year capacity next year. The factory will start manufacturing the Ola Scooter as soon as its first phase of two million annual capacity is ready this summer.

The company’s electric two-wheelers will be produced in this facility which will be spread across 500 acres of land with 10 production lines and a staggering capacity of 10 million units per year. Ola plans to launch the vehicle in the UK and Europe in the near future.

In the new London project, the new Ola EV category, Ola will offer a market-leading zero per cent commission rate for the first three months for all electric rides. After the launch, Ola plans on extending offers through key partnerships to provide easy and affordable options for drivers and riders to shift to fully electric vehicles.

Ola will also provide charging solutions to all its electric two-wheeler customers with the recently-unveiled the Ola Hypercharger Network, the charging network for its upcoming two wheeler products starting with the Ola Scooter to be launched soon.

Recently, Ola Electric announced the appointment Wayne Burgess as Head of Vehicle Design for its entire product range including scooters, bikes, cars and more.

Burgess is one of those celebrated designers who has international automotive design experience, having worked on some of the most legendary and iconic cars in automotive history including the Bentley Arnage in 1998, Aston Martin’s DB9 in the mid 2000s and more recently, the Jaguar XF, F-Type, F-Pace SUV, XE among others.