Ola Electric, an electric scooter manufacturer and purveyor of mobility solutions in India, is due to open a new £100 million automobile development facility in Coventry, UK.
Describing the ‘FutureFoundry’ facility as being built in “a global hub for the best automotive design and engineering talent in the world”, the Indian firm will be employing more than 200 designers and automotive engineers to work with teams at the headquarters in Bangalore, India.
Ola Electric is the manufacturer of some seriously cheap urban mobility options, with the S1 Pro priced at around £1,300 and providing 112 miles of range per each 21700 Lithium battery (removable & charged up in around 6 hours).
The 8500-watt motor found in the S1 Pro is said to be good for a top speed of 71 mph, accelerating to 25 mph in 3 seconds. It’s smart, too, with Google Android integration and a 7” touchscreen that pairs with your smartphone.
With one of the biggest production facilities in India, with an estimated 10 million scooters a year being produced, the super-budget scooters could well prove seriously important in the blossoming electric market in the UK.
Speaking on the FutureFoundry, Bhavish Aggarwal (Ola CEO) said:
“Ola Futurefoundry will enable us to tap into the fantastic automotive design and engineering talent in the UK to create the next generation of electric vehicles.
"Futurefoundry will work in close collaboration with our headquarters in Bangalore, India, to help us build the future of mobility as we make EVs affordable across the world.”
Whilst vice-president of design Wayne Burgess (previously at Aston Martin and Jaguar) said:
“We want to create a world-class design and R&D team with global sensibilities. Ola Futurefoundry is an important step in building a multi-disciplinary team that's agile, flexible and responsive to the various needs of our consumers around the world.”
Sources: Autocar, BikeWale, Scooter.uk.com
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