The electric vehicle manufacturer has achieved compliance with the government's Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) norms by attaining a minimum of 50 percent Domestic Value Addition (DVA) in its Gen-2 Ola S1 Pro electric scooter. This marks the second product in Ola Electric's all-electric lineup to qualify for the PLI scheme, following the Ola S1 Air, which received the PLI certificate last month from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune.

Launched in August 2023, the Gen-2 Ola S1 Pro has achieved a DVA of 51.84 percent, meeting the PLI requirements. The certification ceremony took place in New Delhi, where Dr. SJ Dhinagar, Head of Engineering at Ola Electric, received the certificate from Dr. Hanif Qureshi, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI). Saurabh Dalela, Director at the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), and Subrat Kumar Dash, Associate Director of Vehicle Product Development - Homologation & Regulations at Ola Electric, were also present.

Dr. Hanif Qureshi highlighted the expedited process, stating that the certification was achieved within a record 90-day timeline for DVA assessment set by the homologation bodies.

Saurabh Dalela, Director at ICAT, emphasized their role in evaluating companies' eligibility for the PLI scheme by assessing their DVA and visiting manufacturing sites. The 50 percent DVA is a prerequisite for certification under the PLI-Auto scheme, launched by the MHI in 2021 to promote indigenization and local manufacturing of advanced automotive technology products.

Ola Electric, with a 1-million-capacity manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu, locally manufactures advanced automotive technology products, including electric motors and battery packs. The company outsources the manufacturing of Battery Management Systems (BMS) and digital instrument clusters for its e-scooters to partners like Foxconn.

The certification is viewed by Ola Electric as a demonstration of its commitment to indigenizing advanced automotive technology products, aligning with the government's 'Make-in-India' initiative and strengthening the domestic production ecosystem.

ICAT, a division of the National Automotive Board (NAB), continues to evaluate and assess PLI applications from various applicants. It anticipates that many other players will soon receive their PLI-Auto certificates from ICAT.

Ola Electric, which achieved significant success with its new range of e-scooters, is in the process of an IPO and is exploring the establishment of a local battery cell manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu. In CY23, the company became the first Indian Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to sell over 250,000 e-two-wheelers in a year, securing a market share of over 31 percent in the e-two-wheeler segment.