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.