Netizens slam Ola’s Bhavish over poor e-scooter quality as he shows battery cell to Union Minister Vaishnaw

New Delhi, Sep 20
As Bhavish Aggarwal met Union Railways and Electronics and IT Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Thursday to show an indigenously-made lithium battery cell, netizens slammed Ola Electric scooters' quality, saying these EV cells "need to be tested according to international standards". 

Ola Electric has announced the integration of its battery cells in its own vehicles, starting Q1 FY26.

An X user posted that "our business needs to be quality-wise accurate globally". "Working on different businesses at once without looking at quality concerns will affect Ola’s footprint in the domestic market. Specifically talking about Ola two-wheelers. He (Bhavish) should take it seriously," he posted.

Another EV user posted on X: "I am using an e-vehicle scooter and its battery is deteriorating in a year's use."

"Indian products should establish a benchmark so that people around the world find made in India products trustworthy," he said.

The Ola Electric cell is currently under trial production at its Gigafactory. The company recently showcased the indigenously developed Bharat 4680 cell and battery pack. The cell claims to have a wider operating window (10-700C), a longer life with more than 1,000 charge cycles, and better fast-charging capabilities.

Meanwhile, another X user posted that our nomenclature of almost everything seems too self-obsessed or hyper-nationalist.

"Ever heard about China cell or Tesla's America cell? It frankly shows that one considers to have over-achieved something, and it's not a usual part of a country's technological prowess," the user commented.

Recently, after the shocking Ola Electric showroom fire incident in Karnataka, the company's social media platforms were flooded with complaints about its EV scooters, as several customers raised serious concerns about product quality and service. Ola Electric users had complaints ranging from faulty software, bad service quality and poor response from the company when raised. As per the latest reports, Ola Electric receives around 80,000 complaints monthly, overwhelming its service centres. On peak days, complaints rise to 6,000-7,000, resulting in long wait times, overburdened staff and growing customer dissatisfaction.

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