Ola is said to deploy 10,000 premium electric vehicles (EVs) for users on its cab-booking platform and was in the final stages of rolling out the pilot programme. The company said it will first launch 1,000 cars in Bengaluru, and scale from there. The service will be available on the Ola app as a separate category.
The company said once it has figured out the sourcing of the vehicles, the charging infrastructure and based on the pilot’s results, the company will decide when to exit the pilot phase and formally launch the service on its app.
The new premium fleet will be operated by top-rated drivers, and provide 100% ride assurance post allocation of the cab, zero cancellations, and 100% cashless payments. Ola is likely to procure and lease out its EV fleet as well as compensate its drivers similarly.
BluSmart is currently the biggest EV ride-hailing player in India, with around 3,000 electric cars already on the road. BluSmart leases its EVs from manufacturers, owns them and operates them without the drivers incurring any extra costs such as fuel, EMI, rent or payments as commissions.
