Is Coventry the UK’s ultimate mobility hub? Ola thinks so.
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Earlier today, Ola Electric announced its intentions to build Ola Futurefoundry — a £100M global centre of engineering located in none other than the oh so glamorous Coventry, UK.
The facility will become its global hub for design and engineering of 2 wheel and 4 wheel vehicle design, “advance high performance automotive engineering” and new energy systems including cell technologies. The company is currently known for being India’s largest mobility platform and sold its scooters at a rate of 4 a second in September 2021.
“At Ola we are building the future of mobility and continue to attract the best global talent across disciplines. Ola Futurefoundry will enable us to tap into the fantastic automotive design and engineering talent in the UK to create the next generation of electric vehicles. Futurefoundry will work in close collaboration with our headquarters in Bangalore, India to help us build the future of mobility as we make EVs affordable across the world.” Bhavish Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, Ola
Coventry — home to inordinate quantities of concrete and the world’s worst ringroad may not seem the obvious choice for creating the future of mobility for those less familiar with the automotive industry. However should you find yourself in Leamington Spa and clock a 23 year old stepping out of a Range Rover or Aston Martin sporting their best sunglasses — you can be rest assured that it absolutely isn’t theirs and is more likely a test vehicle they’re taking up to Nuneaton for testing and relishing the notion that it could look like theirs. ( I too have been guilty of this circa. 2014)
The West Midlands’ automotive presence doesn’t end with Jaguar Land Rover and Aston Martin. Electric Vehicle Platform maker REE has operations at MIRA, LEVC is popping out electric taxis in Coventry and if you’re in search of a little more Cotswolds charm with your vehicles — then Arrival is only a stone’s throw down the M40.