Ola Electric unveils lithium-ion cell, to begin mass production by 2023

Bengaluru: Ola Electric on Tuesday unveiled an indigenously developed lithium-ion cell -- NMC 2170 -- and the company will begin the mass production of its cell from its upcoming Gigafactory by 2023.

The state-of-the-art High Nickel Cylindrical Ola Cell uses NMC on the cathode side; and graphite and silicon on the anode side.

The use of specific chemistry and materials enables the cell to pack more energy in a given space and also improves the overall life cycle of the cell. The cell has been developed keeping the indigenous conditions at the core.

"A cell is the heart of the EV revolution. Ola is building the world's most advanced cell research center that will enable us to scale and innovate faster, and build the most advanced and affordable EV products in the world with speed," Bhavish Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Ola Electric, said in a statement.

"Our first indigenously made Li-ion cell is also the first of many in our cell technology roadmap. Having a robust local EV ecosystem is important for India to become a global EV hub," Aggarwal added.

The company said it is committed to investing in core research and development to create indigenous advanced cell technologies, strengthen manufacturing capabilities and create an integrated Ola Electric Vehicles hub. It was recently allocated 20 GWh capacity under the ACC PLI scheme by the Government of India for developing advanced cells in India and is setting up a cutting-edge cell manufacturing facility with an initial capacity of up to 20 GWh, localising the most critical part of the EV value chain.

The company is also recruiting top cell research and development talent across the globe and will employ 500 PhDs and engineers.