Bhavish Aggarwal co-founded Ola in 2010 and helped turn it into a major ride-hailing company.
Ola expanded into international markets before returning its main focus to India.
Ola Electric is now working on electric scooters, battery cells, motors, software, and other EV technology.
Ola began with one simple idea: open an app, book a cab, and get a ride without waiting on the streetṣ. Bhavish Aggarwal now has a much bigger plan. The Ola founder is moving deeper into electric vehicles and the technology behind them. His work now covers electric scooters, battery cells, motors, software, and manufacturing.
It is a big change from the company he started more than 15 years ago. Aggarwal's journey also shows how India's startup space has changed. Mobility is no longer only about getting passengers from one place to another. The bigger race is now about who can build better vehicles and control the technology inside them.
Bhavish Aggarwal studied computer science at IIT Bombay before starting Ola. He founded the company in 2010 with Ankit Bhati. The pair saw a gap in India's taxi market and used smartphones to make booking a ride easier.
The idea was simple: customers could book a cab through an app instead of calling a taxi service or looking for a ride on the road. Ola grew quickly as smartphone use increased across India. The company later expanded outside the country. In 2018, Ola said its platform had more than 125 million users across India, Australia, and the UK. It also said more than one million drivers were using its platform.
The company entered Australia and the UK in 2018 and later expanded into New Zealand. The move showed how far Aggarwal wanted to take the business. Global growth, however, was not easy. Ola eventually left those markets around 2024. The company decided to put more attention on its Indian business.
The change did not mean Aggarwal was stepping back from mobility. He was moving into another part of the industry.
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Ola Electric became the biggest part of this new plan. Instead of only selling electric scooters, the company wants to build more of the technology that powers them. Its work covers motors, battery packs, battery cells, software, and vehicle production.
The numbers show how quickly Ola Electric grew in its early years. The company sold 329,618 electric two-wheelers in FY2024, compared with 156,251 in FY2023. Ola also reported a 35% share of India's electric two-wheeler market in FY2024.
The battery is now one of its biggest bets. A battery can affect almost everything about an electric vehicle. It can change the range, charging time, cost, and performance. Building its own cells could give Ola more control over these areas.
Ola is developing its 4680 Bharat Cell at its Gigafactory in Tamil Nadu. The company has been working on cell design, testing, materials, and production in India. Ola has also been working on its own electric motor and vehicle software. In 2025, the company showed its 4680 Bharat Cell, ferrite motor, and MoveOS 6 software. The software adds features such as a voice assistant, collision warnings, and blind-spot alerts.
The company has also started putting its own battery cells into some vehicles. In May 2026, Ola said around 15% of its current orders were coming from vehicles using its 4680 Bharat Cells. Aggarwal has said the company wants to move fully to its own cells by September 2026.
The bigger goal is clear: Ola wants more of the technology inside its vehicles to come from its own teams.
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Building a scooter is difficult, but building the battery, motor, software, and factory needed to make that scooter is even harder. Ola Electric is investing in its Futurefactory and Gigafactory in Tamil Nadu. The wider plan includes more local production and a stronger supply chain for electric vehicles.
The approach could help India reduce its dependence on imported EV technology. It could also give Ola more control over costs and product design if the company can make the technology work at a large scale.
The road will not be easy. Ola faced delays in bringing its own battery cells into vehicles. Building new battery technology takes time, money, testing, and skilled workers. Competition is also getting tougher. Indian and global EV makers are fighting for the same customers. Buyers now expect better range, faster charging, good software, and reliable service.
Aggarwal's biggest challenge is no longer building a popular app. It is proving that Ola can build reliable technology and turn it into products that people want to buy.
If the company gets it right, Ola's story could become much bigger than ride-hailing. The app that once helped people book a cab could eventually be remembered as the starting point of a much wider mobility business.
Who is Bhavish Aggarwal?
Ans: Bhavish Aggarwal is an Indian entrepreneur and the co-founder of Ola. He has worked to build businesses in ride-hailing, electric vehicles, batteries, and other areas linked to future mobility.
How did Bhavish Aggarwal start Ola?
Ans: Bhavish Aggarwal co-founded Ola in 2010 with Ankit Bhati. The company began as an online cab service and later grew into one of India’s major mobility platforms.
How has Ola changed mobility in India?
Ans: Ola made booking cabs through a smartphone easier for millions of users. Its growth also helped expand app-based transport services and changed how many people travel within Indian cities.
What is Ola Electric and why is it important?
Ans: Ola Electric is Bhavish Aggarwal’s electric vehicle company. It focuses on electric scooters, batteries, and related technology, with the wider aim of building a stronger electric mobility system in India.
What does Bhavish Aggarwal mean by deep tech?
Ans: Deep tech refers to advanced technology built around areas such as batteries, artificial intelligence, robotics, software, and manufacturing. Aggarwal has increasingly focused on these areas beyond traditional ride-hailing.