Ola to back New Zealand's goal of on-roading 64,000 new EVs by 2021

The introduction of SoftBank-backed Ola's electric scooters will help support New Zealand's public sector become carbon neutral by 2025

Indian ride-hailing firm Ola will bring its electric 2 wheeler range of products to New Zealand. The introduction of SoftBank-backed Ola’s electric scooters will help support the New Zealand government’s goal of on-roading 64,000 new electric vehicles by the end of 2021, while also helping the public sector become carbon neutral by 2025.

“We are excited about bringing our electric 2 wheelers to New Zealand to further accelerate the development of sustainable solutions,” said Bhavish Aggarwal, Chairman and Group CEO, Ola. “Climate change is a serious challenge and Ola is committed to moving the world to sustainable mobility through our products.”

Brian Dewil, Managing Director, Ola NZ, said the government’s climate emergency announcement puts more responsibility on transport providers to step up and make changes.

“Ola wants to play an important part in New Zealand’s journey to becoming carbon neutral,” said Dewil. “We’ve witnessed strong and steady growth in the e-scooter and e-bike sector so we believe Ola’s new scooter product will be welcomed by consumers as a way to contribute towards establishing a 0-carbon economy.”

Ola’s soon to launch electric scooter is part of its electric mobility business which has been set up to design and manufacture high-quality electric two-wheelers that consumers can purchase and own. It is a key part of Ola’s broader vision of moving the world towards sustainable mobility solutions across shared and owned mobility. 

As part of electric mobility, Ola is in advanced stages of setting up the world’s largest scooter factory in India. Once completed, the factory will have the capacity to manufacture over 2 million scooters a year. 

Ola Electric has raised about $ 400 million in funding from investors including Tiger Global, Matrix India and Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata. Earlier this year, Ola revealed plans of hiring over 2,000 people for its electric business as it rapidly builds a suite of electric and smart urban mobility solutions for consumers around the world. 

The company said Ola’s electric scooter, which is set to launch across several markets around the world has already won several design and innovation awards around the world, including at Consumer Electronic Show (CES) and the German Design Awards. The vehicle features many firsts, including a unique removable banana battery that is easy to carry and can be charged anywhere. Ola plans to bring many such design and software innovations to its entire product line of two-wheelers as they bring their products to global markets, including New Zealand, in the coming months.

Last month Ola roped in General Motors veteran Jose Pinheiro to head the global manufacturing and operations for its electric business. In this role, Pinheiro will spearhead Ola’s ambitions to build world-class manufacturing facilities starting with the world’s largest scooter factory, and then expanding to multiple such facilities across India. The firm had said it is committed to bringing 1 million electric vehicles on Indian roads by 2022. Early this year, Ola Electric Mobility acquired Etergo BV, an Amsterdam-based electric scooter original equipment manufacturer.

The global electric vehicle industry garnered $162.34 billion in 2019, and is estimated to reach $802.81 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 22.6 per cent from 2020 to 2027, according to a report by Allied Market Research.

The Ola road map

Ola will bring its electric two-wheeler range of products to New Zealand

This will support the New Zealand government’s goal of on-roading 64,000 new EVs by the end of 2021.

Ola is in advanced stages of setting up the world’s largest scooter factory in India. 

The factory will have the capacity to manufacture over two million scooters a year. 

The global electric vehicle industry is estimated to reach $802.81 billion by 2027

This year Ola Electric Mobility acquired Etergo BV, an Amsterdam-based electric scooter original equipment manufacturer.