Ola brings in cutting-edge lithium cell battery known as 'Bharat Cell'

Bhavish Aggarwal, the founder of Ola, has declared that the company has created a cutting-edge lithium cell battery known as the "Bharat cell." This battery, which is currently in the advanced stages of testing, has the potential to completely transform the Indian ecosystem for electric transportation.

“This is the 5G of lithium cells, if I can say, it in a very simple way. This is the cutting-edge technology that we have made in India. Globally, only a few companies have this technology capability,” Bhavish Aggarwal told a news source in a podcast session.

According to reports, the Bharat Cell has received certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards, which is a prerequisite for starting commercial production at Ola's Gigafactory.

India majorly imports lithium cell batteries and do not manufacture any till now. Batteries make up a significant part of the cost of manufacturing a unit electric vehicle.   

Ola Electric aims to make India the global EV hub.

“to make India use EVs, we’ll have to build the products India wants, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, other products, which is more India-centric. And by extension, Global South will use those products. But not limit ourselves to the product. In the end, what will define success in Ola Electric is whether, and the whole EV game is, whether we can build a lithium technology in India. So we’ve backward integrated into lithium technology,” Aggarwal said, as he showcased the Bharat Cell during the podcast to the viewers.

At present, the 2170 battery is dominating the market and it is expected that 4680 will soon replace it, particularly because of its added advantages – more energy capacity, fast charging abilities, and low cost (both manufacturing and retail).

The "Bharat Cell" will be utilized in vehicles, for home energy storage, and in grid energy storage systems.

“This (Bharat Cell) is five times more energy than this. And since one unit has five times the energy, the cost is lower. This has better fast charging capability. Charging speed is important in EVs,” Aggarwal asserted, holding one such battery on his hands.

“It has less cobalt, so the cost is lower. Energy density is a very important paradigm in cells. Its energy density is 250 Watt hour per kg. This has 275 Watt hour per kg. So that means more energy in the same weight. Cost comes down, performance goes up,” he further explained the advantages.

The new cell will be manufactured in Ola’s 1500-2000 acre size EV hub in Tamil Nadu.