From Spark to Stall: Ola Electric’s Wild Ride Through India’s EV Revolution
In 2021, as India stood on the cusp of an electric mobility revolution, a new icon emerged. Ola Electric, under the bold leadership of Bhavish Aggarwal, was heralded as the future of Indian transportation with a factory the size of 500 football fields, aspirations of solid-state batteries, and pledges to revolutionize the way Indians ride two-wheelers. "Made in India, for the world" was an ambitious concept. Slick design, ultra-modern branding, and a flurry of social media chatter encase a green promise. The corporation boldly disclosed patent applications across verticals, from battery management to intelligent software systems, and raised billions of dollars while courting politicians and top engineering talent. Building electric cars was not Ola Electric's only goal, Innovation in Indian manufacturing was to be redefined. Yet, that goal appears to have been shattered, if not completely derailed, after only four years.
The Flashy start
The sleek e-scooters, the S1 and S1 Pro, which debuted with a cinematic perspective and lightning-fast pre-bookings, created the first buzz. Consumers grabbed at the chance because they were sick of noisy gasoline engines and growing fuel costs. Ola Electric said they were "revolutionizing mobility”, judging on those early sales figures, maybe they will.
Bhavish Aggarwal's bold risk—a vertically integrated manufacturing model—was at the center of this momentum. From battery manufacture to final rollout, the now-famous FutureFactory in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, intended to do it all internally. Over 10,000 women met the requirements to operate the plant.
A flurry of patent applications had also started. Ola Electric submitted more than 200 patents between 2021 and 2024 in areas like battery safety, diagnostic algorithms, motor cooling systems, and vehicle architecture. This was a wise strategy to show foreign investors the depth of technology while also protecting invention.
It worked for a while. Bhavish was India's face of green innovation, the brand was popular, and the valuation skyrocketed.
When the Wheels Started to Wobble
Then came the questions!!
Buyers began reporting software bugs, dashboards freezing, inaccurate battery range displays, sudden shutdowns
There were several instances of scooters catching fire. Worst of all, the company's silence was disappointing when contrasted to customer concerns.
Behind the scenes, there was utter anarchy. Between 2023 and 2024, the corporation would undergo turnover of more than a dozen senior executives, heads of engineering, and even heads of design and battery systems—all in critical roles. Finally, there was criticism of Aggarwal's excessively centralized management approach. The idea of innovation now began to feel accelerated and reckless.
"Patents without mature products don’t earn trust," said a former engineer. "We pursued advanced IP, sure—but we had no time to experience tests before releasing the product. It was about getting headlines more than hardware."
The Innovation Conundrum
In the electric mobility space, innovation is not invention.
Iteration, trust, and dependability over time define innovation. Patent registration has the advantage of securing technical competence while also impressing stakeholders. However, in a true innovation environment, feedback loops, iterations, and prioritizing quality above speed are essential.
This was most likely the point at which Ola Electric failed. Despite having a strong intellectual property portfolio, it jumped from patent to product to public relations too rapidly, failing to consider the job of iteration in between.
To clarify, forget about the much-lauded battery pack designs. Their patent did not prevent destructive fires, which resulted in a public recall that was detrimental to the public.
Their software patents promised sophisticated diagnostics, but clients complained about inconsistent performance.
"The patent filings were legitimate," according to a Mumbai-based IP expert, "but innovation was being used as a finish line rather than a process."
The Bhavish Factor
A discussion about Ola Electric is incomplete without acknowledging Bhavish Aggarwal as a leader. He generates both excitement and anxiety in India's startup environment, since he is brilliant, relentless, and has drawn compared to Elon Musk.
He founded Ola from the ground up, transformed the ride-sharing industry, and took the plunge into electric vehicles when others were hesitant. But as Ola Electric expanded, his leadership style, which is based on a tight grip, quick execution, and a lot of marketing, started to crumble.
Some insiders point to an inability to delegate and a fear of decision-making. In his efforts to create India's Tesla, Bhavish may have ignored the most critical lesson from Silicon Valley: culture eats strategy for breakfast.
The question now is not whether Bhavish is a visionary, which he is, but whether he can mature into the type of leader capable of weathering a storm, retaining people, and developing gradual and lasting innovation.
Is There Still a Road Ahead?
Despite the hurdles, Ola Electric is still on the road. It remains the country's largest maker of EV two-wheelers in terms of volume. It maintains one of the sector's largest intellectual property portfolios. The FutureFactory is still operating.
However, the following stage cannot be expansion but must be consolidation. The corporation must spend not just on patents and intellectual property, but also in product validation, user experience, and long-term engineering depth that can be expanded upon.
It also must provide market transparency for customer feedback, while concentrating on developing an innovative culture that combines ambition and responsibility.
The broader lesson to be learned.
Ola Electric's journey is a model for aspiring entrepreneurs in India's startup and innovation environment. India's aspiration for self-reliance and leadership in next-generation technologies necessitates a shift from a scale-at-all-costs mindset to one based on sustainability.
Patents are useful, but only when combined with real products and users. Factories are fantastic, but only when combined with safety and service capacity.
And what about the founders? Yes, visionaries are important, but so are builders who pay attention.
References:
Ola Electric Mobility Pvt. Ltd. (2021–2024). Patent Filings under Indian Patent Office & WIPO. Retrieved from Indian Patent Advanced Search System (InPASS) and WIPO PatentScope.
Singh, S. (2024, October 17). Cracks in the Electric Dream: Ola Faces Mounting Quality Concerns. The Economic Times.
Chaturvedi, A. (2024, December 12). Top-Level Exits Continue at Ola Electric Amid Internal Tensions. Business Standard.
Bureau of Indian Standards (2023). Battery Safety Testing Guidelines for EVs. Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India.
Mishra, P. (2023, August 9). Ola Electric’s IPO and the Risks of Rushed Scaling. Mint.
Aggarwal, B. (2021, August 15). India Must Lead the EV Race—We’re Building the Future. [LinkedIn Post].
Kumar, R. & Menon, D. (2025). Decoding India’s EV Ecosystem: Innovation, Policy and Market Players. Centre for Mobility Studies, IIHS.
Rai, A. (2023). Electric Vehicles in India: Trends, Challenges, and the IP Imperative. Journal of Technology & Policy, 12(3), 45–62.
Ministry of Heavy Industries. (2023). FAME-II Policy Dashboard and EV Manufacturing Progress Report. Government of India.
Jain, R. (2022). Can India Innovate Its Way to EV Leadership? The Ken.