[TorqueIndia]

Ola Electric gearing up to join electric car race

● Ola Electric to launch a compact city car with an attractive price

● Ola’s global design centre for electric PVs to come up in Bengaluru

● The firm could also open its Hypercharger network to its electric car customers

Autocar

My wild guess is that Mr.Pratap Bose will be roped into this via Hyundai Group.

[udaikalra01]

Originally Posted by TorqueIndia

Ola Electric gearing up to join electric car race

Autocar

My wild guess is that Mr.Pratap Bose will be roped into this via Hyundai Group.

Exactly what I thought. The report mentioned that Pratap Bose is now gonna work on something greener.

Edit:Quoting from the article @TorqueIndia shared

The facility will be equipped with all the requisite facilities, including those for clay modelling as well as a CMF (colour, materials and finish) lab. Ola has already poached a few Tata designers for its electric PV project.

[Aditya]

Ola Electric gearing up to join electric car race - Posts moved to a new thread.

[ADI7YAK]

Pratap Bose kinda confirms he will be working with Ola?

[sri_tesla]

Ola Electric appoints Ex-Jaguar designer Wayne Burgess as VP of design. His LinkedIn profile already updated with his new title at Ola. Interestingly, he liked another post about Pratap Bose's resignation from Tata Motors.

Wayne Burgess LinkedIn profile:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-burgess-693659137/

Ola is establishing design studios in London and Bangalore. Wayne Burgess will split his time between two locations.

More details:
https://www.autocarpro.in/news-natio...f-design-79099

[udaikalra01]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

Ola Electric appoints Ex-Jaguar designer Wayne Burgess as VP of design. His LinkedIn profile already updated with his new title at Ola. Interestingly, he liked another post about Pratap Bose's resignation from Tata Motors.

Ola is definitely going really big. Have heard his name quite a lot. Checked out his LinkedIn. He was the chief creative designer on the first gen F-Type and XF! Has even worked in Aston Martin on the DB9 and V8 Vantage with Ian Callum.

Really interested in Ola right now. But considering that they do not even have an R&D centre as of now, their cars are still easily at least 5 to 6 years away from us.
Good luck to them and the new team!

[TusharK]

Ola Electric launched its first electric scooter on the occasion of India's 75th Independence Day. Now, CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has hinted that the company could enter the electric car space in the next 2 years. Details of the project, however, would be discussed at a later date.



Ola Electric's first product is an e-scooter that competes with the Ather 450X, Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube. It is available in two variants S1 and S1 Pro and prices start at Rs. 99,999 (ex-showroom).

The e-scooter will be built at the company's new production facility in Tamil Nadu. Ola is also building an ancillary or supplier park in the vicinity, with an aim to create an EV hub.

Source: TOI

Link to Team-BHP News

[starke]

It's good to see our native startups/companies are advancing on creating their own products rather than just selling CKD kits around the country.

But when it comes to cars or any passenger vehicles, it's not as easy as motorcycles/scooters (even they adopted the engineering from Etergo).

I hope they follow the same strategy as Etergo to adopt some already developed startups on cars (which is actually rare to find :( ) Rather than developing something from scratch which will take years to stabilize unless they are backed by something big.

Hope they concentrate on getting their 2W segment successful and pay their investors back some money to keep them happy ( which is also very rare if you see any automotive startups :P )

[GTO]

Am with starke out here. Entering the two-wheeler market is 100 times easier than the car space. It's why we have had innumerable new brands in the scooter & motorcycle segments since 2015. But in cars? The only notable ones have been Kia & MG, companies that have enormous presence & experience internationally.

The person spending 10 - 20 lakhs also has expectations entirely different from a 1-lakh rupee scooter customer. Then, among other things, the requirements in terms of safety (making cars safe is alone an investment of billions of INR), luxury, space packaging, on-road behaviour, dealerships, after-sales etc. is on a completely different level. Tesla still isn't able to get its fit & finish right!!

Not saying its impossible, but in the last 20 years, Tesla is the only new carmaker to have successfully done it. Many others have tried & failed. That being said, I truly respect the ambitious nature of Bhavish Aggarwal . He is really something else.

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by starke

It's good to see our native startups/companies are advancing on creating their own products rather than just selling CKD kits around the country.

But when it comes to cars or any passenger vehicles, it's not as easy as motorcycles/scooters (even they adopted the engineering from Etergo).

I hope they follow the same strategy as Etergo to adopt some already developed startups on cars (which is actually rare to find :( ) Rather than developing something from scratch which will take years to stabilize unless they are backed by something big.

Hope they concentrate on getting their 2W segment successful and pay their investors back some money to keep them happy ( which is also very rare if you see any automotive startups :P )

You are wrong, The Indian two wheeler segment is a very tough sector to compete in.

The domestic majors in the Indian market are global players and sell in International markets, whether it is Bajaj, Hero, TVS or RE.

How many Indian car makers can claim the same?

The quality and choice among competitors is impressive in every 2 wheeler segment. The two wheeler buyer in India does not need to make compromises when it comes to design, performance, quality, efficiency etc. unlike the India's 4 wheeler equivalents.

Honda is the only company that has found success in the Indian market. Suzuki and Yamaha are still laggards. Hyosung, Kymco, Harley quit.

Mahindra has been struggling to get a foothold in the Indian two wheeler space for more than a decade with little to show for all its efforts & investments.

OLA's initial acceptance (still a long way to go before calling it a success) was achieved by targeting a massively underserved market. When it comes to VFM good quality electric two wheelers in India, buyers have little choice. This is what clicked for OLA, and not because the two wheeler sector being a easy one to compete in.

Bajaj and TVS have lined up massive investments to compete in the electric space as well. The competition responds immediately.

Again, if Bhavish thinks that there is a vacuum for VFM good quality four wheelers in India, then he is 100% right. Who exactly is the competition? Apart from Tata with it's relatively small EV operations, it's an open goal post in India right now in the EV space.

[starke]

Originally Posted by shortbread

You are wrong, The Indian two wheeler segment is a very tough sector to compete in.

We are talking about entirely different subjects. I do agree with you about capturing the market and its business strategies do not depend upon the product they offer.

What my opinion is on the engineering/technical side.

Developing a scooter/2W/3W is pretty easy when compared to 4W.
With my experience in 2W/3W and 4W industries with a mix of some major startups as well as global OEMs, I can confidently say that developing a Car needs experience and tons of investment.

Few exceptions to the above statement are

-Chinese manufacturers (like Nio, Byton(dead!) etc.)
Nothing to explain, PRC is Jack of all trades

-TESLA
I don't want to call them a startup considering the resource Musk had and pulled from SpaceX & Other OEMs, still, like GTO said, on the quality they are not up to other OEMs. [If TESLA was making ICE cars, it would've been very different]

-Rivian/Faraday Future(in ICU actually) /Ludic Air(At least their prototypes work)

Except for Rivian who now got support from Ford & Amazon, everyone is struggling with a deep hole in their pocket even after millions of cash went into the air.


It's good OLA is venturing into the complete segments of transportation, but hope it will take a wise decision not to make a car from scratch

[abhishek46]

It is advisable to first learn how to walk, and then run.

Ola should 'prove' itself first, with their EV Scooter, and then think about cars.

A simple addition of two additional wheels to a 2 wheeler does not make it a car.
Even well established manufacturers would take more than 2 years to develop a completely new car, from grounds up.

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by starke

Except for Rivian who now got support from Ford & Amazon, everyone is struggling with a deep hole in their pocket even after millions of cash went into the air.

All these manufacturers whether it's Nio, Byton, Faraday are focussing on heavily over engineered cars. They burn money on R&D trying to out do Tesla and aim for the premium end of the market! They loose money trying to outdo each other in terms of power, acceleration figures, automation etc..

Such an approach is not needed for the Indian market. It makes no sense for OLA to develop a complex skate board EV architecture for a very cost conscious market like India.

We as a nation have mastered the dark arts of jugaad. Using a common sense approach to finding simple, cost-effective solutions to challenges.

Originally Posted by starke

We are talking about entirely different subjects. I do agree with you about capturing the market and its business strategies do not depend upon the product they offer.....

It's good OLA is venturing into the complete segments of transportation, but hope it will take a wise decision not to make a car from scratch

They do not have to start from scratch. There is no lack of under performing manufacturers or under utilized factory capacity in India. OLA needs to find an ideal partner to collaborate with, simply buy outright or contract manufacture.

For eg. Ford.

Their B2E platform used in India for the Figo, Aspire, Ecosport etc. is a proven package. It's robust for Indian conditions, good safety standards and flexible enough for a multitude of body shapes including hatchback, sedans, panel vans, compact SUVs, MPVs etc....

Ford already has a line up of component suppliers who are starved for orders and will be willing to collaborate. Literally every aspect of car design/manufacture can be supported by consultation/engineering firms present all over the world.

OLA can simply look into hiring a design house for a new top hat (body panels/facelift) and then focus on engineering/retro-fitting an electric powertrain into the B2E platform, similar to what Tata has achieved with the Nexon/Tigor albeit on a larger scale.

OLA will soon have the battery sourcing ecosystem in place, they have proprietary motor tech, operating system etc. The ingredients are all there, the challenge lies in mastering the recipe.

Look at China's most popular electric cars like the Wuling MINI, Changan Ben, Chery eQ these are not technological marvels, yet sell tens of thousands every month. They are competitively priced EVs that provide buyers multiple battery options based on the buyers affordability.

Every EV maker doesn't need to be a Tesla and not every car buyer in India can spend 30 lacs+ on a car. In fact this is the case with much of the world. Like I posted previously, it is an under served market and I hope Bhavish has the courage to take it on.

[Shresth_EV]

Originally Posted by starke

-Rivian/Faraday Future(in ICU actually) /Ludic Air(At least their prototypes work)

Except for Rivian who now got support from Ford & Amazon, everyone is struggling with a deep hole in their pocket even after millions of cash went into the air.

Add to that, the tragic Dyson Electric car failure story. Founder got driven to bankruptcy on developing EVs. $400M down the drain.

Also the “Apple Car” which has been in the rumour mill for god knows how long. That’s a $2T company. Just having money isn’t enough, either.

Lucid is surviving on Saudi funding. Rivian isn’t on ICU actually, they are prioritising orders for Amazon delivery truck at the moment, over the passenger segment.

They too have the same factory problems as Tesla in earlier days. Coming to EV 4W startups, Pravaig also comes to mind. What’s up with them nowadays? Any info?

Originally Posted by shortbread

All these manufacturers whether it's Nio, Byton, Faraday are focussing on heavily over engineered cars. They burn money on R&D trying to out do Tesla and aim for the premium end of the market! They loose money trying to outdo each other in terms of power, acceleration figures, automation etc.

Agreed, but it’s pretty much their only hope because they want to emulate the Tesla top down sales model where you create premium expensive products and then use that money to develop cheaper mass market products.

They see it as the “only strategy that worked” and trying to drive on same tracks once made by Tesla.

Such an approach is not needed for the Indian market. It makes no sense for OLA to develop a complex skate board EV architecture for a very cost conscious market like India.

I think you’re confused on the term here, Skateboard is nothing but the concept where battery make up vehicle floor between the axles along wheelbase and motors directly onto the axle.

In the sense of term, even Nexon is a skateboard EV. It has a battery on floor. And a motor on the front axle. So is a Kona EV or MG ZS EV despite them being ICE vehicles originally.

You’re confusing a ground up EV (one which wasn’t developed with engine in mind) — Nexon hood area has lots of wasted space which would otherwise be optimised for either a frunk or shorter hood for more interior space (like ID3 having much shorter hood than the eGolf)

For eg. Ford.

Their B2E platform used in India for the Figo, Aspire, Ecosport etc. is a proven package. It's robust for Indian conditions, good safety standards and flexible enough for a multitude of body shapes including hatchback, sedans, panel vans, compact SUVs, MPVs etc.

Yes sure, cheaper, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to go backwards and do adaption exercise on existing ICE car platform at a time when manufacturers are trying to get rid of ICE chassis baggage.

Management at ola might think otherwise, but the kind of timelines we’re looking at, potentially 2023-24, by then companies will be rolling out ground up EV designs even in India.

Lesser the constraints, better the EV. Be it saving space from hood area and putting it to use in interior, aerodynamics, or lengthening wheelbase in favour of reduced overhangs.

[starke]

Originally Posted by shortbread

All these manufacturers whether it's Nio, Byton, Faraday are focussing on heavily over engineered cars. They burn money on R&D trying to out do Tesla and aim for the premium end of the market! They loose money trying to outdo each other in terms of power, acceleration figures, automation etc..

Even Tesla did burn lots of cash on their RnD and still burning. So its not about everyone competing with Tesla, they are trying themselves to make advantage out of the current EV market trend, and since Tesla has the flagship product in the segment, everyone tends to think TSLA is their target. [Rivian never started to compete with TSLA or even its cybertruck, their customer target was pickups]

Originally Posted by shortbread

They do not have to start from scratch. There is no lack of under performing manufacturers or under utilized factory capacity in India. OLA needs to find an ideal partner to collaborate with, simply buy outright or contract manufacture.

For eg. Ford.

Their B2E platform used in India for the Figo, Aspire, Ecosport etc. is a proven package. It's robust for Indian conditions, good safety standards and flexible enough for a multitude of body shapes including hatchback, sedans, panel vans, compact SUVs, MPVs etc....

I have already said this before, better is to work on something which is already stable. But this is not that simple when we speak about OEMs.
Considering the amount they already spent for the 2W and the huge upfront technology transfer cost which the respective OEM gonna ask, it won't be that digestible for the investors (Especially Softbank who counts every penny).

Apart from all the above stuff which can be solved with cash, the next bottleneck will be retro-fitment on an ICE platform. Using an ICE platform itself is a stupid move and OEMs are doing it just run their PoC on the transition period to fully electrification. There were tons of issues when I worked on an ICE platform to retrofit ePWT and we had to move to a new platform to have an integrated setup.

Anyway, nothing is impossible, but like Abhisekh said, first learn to walk(Introduce a good product), then walk for a while (Make some profit out of it), Then go for marathon (Invest in something better)