Ola Electric Commences Mass Deliveries of 4680 Bharat Cell Powered Vehicles

Bengaluru-based Ola Electric has begun mass deliveries of its 4680 Bharat Cell-powered vehicles. In a press release, the company said its S1 Pro+ (5.2 kWh) is the first product to be powered by its indigenously manufactured 4680 Bharat Cell battery pack. The announcement follows Ola’s earlier test rides of Bharat Cell-powered vehicles at its stores across India in November this year. Ola has developed the S1 Pro+ (5.2 kWh) as its first vehicle equipped with the indigenously manufactured 4680 Bharat Cell battery pack.

With its own battery packs installed in its vehicles, Ola Electric becomes one of the few Indian companies to fully own both the battery pack and cell manufacturing processes in-house. The move hasn't come without its share of controversies though, almost standard with Ola now. This time it was accusations of infringing on technology owned by LG that became an issue, before it was strongly refuted by Ola Electric .

An Ola Electric spokesperson said, “The excitement for S1 Pro+ has been phenomenal. Deliveries are now in full swing, and customers are proudly riding India’s first scooters powered by our own 4680 Bharat Cell. With the national rollout starting soon, we are now ready to take this breakthrough product and technology to every corner of the country.”

About Ola’s Product

Further demonstrating its product, Ola said that its S1 Pro+ (5.2kWh) is powered by a 13 kW motor, which offers performance with acceleration from 0 to 40 km/h in just 2.1 seconds.

The company also said that is S1 Pro+ (5.2kWh) comes with a range of 320km (IDC with DIY mode). S1 Pro+ gets four riding modes - Hyper, Sports, Normal and Eco and also offers enhanced safety with category-first dual ABS, and disk brakes in front and rear.

Ola Electric Scooter

Ola Electric currently offers an expansive portfolio of S1 scooters and Roadster X motorcycles. The premium S1 Gen 3 portfolio includes S1 Pro+ in 5.2kWh, and 4kWh configurations, and S1 Pro in 4kWh, and 3kWh configurations priced at ₹1,90,338, ₹1,70,338, ₹1,44,999, and ₹1,24,999, respectively.

The company’s mass market offerings include Gen 3 S1 X+ (4kWh), and Gen 3 S1 X (2kWh, 3kWh, and 4kWh) priced at ₹1,19,999, ₹84,999, ₹98,999, and ₹1,14,999, respectively. The company’s sports scooter portfolio includes the S1 Pro Sport in 5.2kWh, and 4kWh configurations priced at ₹1,64,999 and ₹1,49,999, respectively. 

The company’s Roadster motorcycle portfolio comprises of Roadster X+ (4.5kWh), and Roadster X (2.5kWh, 3.5kWh, and 4.5kWh) priced at ₹1,29,999, ₹99,999, ₹1,09,999, and ₹1,24,999, respectively. 

Building Battery Cells' Capacity

Ola also shared the company's perspective on adding captive battery cell capacity. Bhavish Aggarwal, Chairman and Managing Director, Ola Electric Mobility, said during an investor call, based on the cell cost, parity will be around 3-5 GWh, which remains the same.

On the cell Bill of Materials cost (BOM) cost, Aggarwal said the cell business will make a good gross margin from the beginning because the BOM cost is better than its procurement cost from outside, but definitely, there will be some yield improvements; it will be a journey to the 3-5 GWh threshold. 

Why Ola Isn't Planning To Enter the BaaS Model

Bhavish Aggarwal - Chairman and Managing Director, Ola Electric Mobility, has hinted at not opting for Battery as a Service (BaaS). Aggarwal emphasised that battery as a service isn't selling in the market even for Ather or other companies. 

The company said it does not see Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) as a meaningful business opportunity, arguing that the model today functions largely as a financing scheme rather than a technology differentiator. Explaining the rationale behind it, he said, 60–70% of customers already finance their vehicles, and the company believes BaaS offers little added value, making it a non-priority area. 

Instead, the company is focusing on developing its own battery cells and increasing vehicle range, particularly through its 4680 cell technology. It said longer range is what customers truly want, and improving this will help the company expand into the next segment of the market.