Ola, a popular mobility platform in India, has partnered with the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to establish and operate India’s first ever fast-charging station for electric vehicles (EV) in a fuel station at Nagpur, the city where Ola launched its EV pilot in May this year. As a pioneer of sustainable mobility in the country, Ola’s Nagpur pilot has set the tone for India’s mass adoption of electric mobility, in line with the Government’s vision of a 100% EV nation by 2030. This partnership with IOCL is a significant step in this direction with the potential to bring about transformational change in the automotive and transportation landscape of the city.
The new charging station facilitates speed and efficiency as EVs will get fully charged in less than 90 minutes. Proving to be of tremendous benefit to driver partners, fast charging stations will decrease idle time and help increase the operational time of vehicles on the platform with a direct and positive impact on their earnings.
Commenting on the launch Aravind G Raghavendra, Associate Director EV at Ola in Nagpur. said,“We are excited about the role electric mobility is going to play in shaping the future of transportation in the country. Strengthening the infrastructure for EVs will unlock immense opportunities, as well as positively impact the environment and quality of life in our cities. In our continued effort to bring about this transformational change, we are thrilled to partner with IOCL to launch India’s first fast charging station at a fuel station. We expect this to be a significant step towards improving the charging infrastructure network for EVs and setting an example for the EV ecosystem in other cities as the footprint expands. We look forward to partnering with other like-minded PSUs to further strengthen the EV ecosystem nationally.”
On this occasion Shri Murali Srinivasan, Executive Director IOCL , Maharashtra State Office said “We applaud Ola for building the Electric Vehicle ecosystem from a nascent stage in Nagpur and are happy to partner with them in their efforts. EVs have the ability to solve some of the key issues we are currently facing with respect to vehicular pollution and air quality; and as a large-scale mobility platform, Ola can bring about a catalytic change. As India’s largest commercial Petroleum organization, promoting ecological sustainability is core to our business. Thus, this partnership with Ola is the right step forward as we re-imagine how India will commute in the coming years.”
Ola commenced India’s first multimodal EV project in Nagpur in May 2017 with a 200-strong fleet, comprising of electric cars, e-rickshaws, electric auto rickshaws, and electric buses to lay the foundation of electric mobility in India. In line with the rapid adoption and demand from commuters, Ola has strengthened the fleet and is working to further to improve the electric vehicle ecosystem in the city.