Cab hailing company Ola, on Thursday, said it has commenced the construction of its two-wheeler factory in Tamil Nadu. In December 2020, the Bengaluru-based company had announced its plan to set up a scooter manufacturing facility. Ola had also committed an investment of Rs 2,400 crore for the new factory.

Ola had completed the land acquisition in January and had acquired about 500 acres of land.  “An estimated more than 10 million man-hours have been planned to bring the factory up in record time, with the first phase becoming operational in the coming months,” Ola said in a release.

Ola’s factory will have an initial capacity of 2 million units a year in phase 1. The facility will also serve as its global manufacturing hub for electric-powered scooters and two-wheelers across India and international markets including Europe, UK, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.

“We are excited to announce our plans to set up the world’s largest scooter factory. This is a significant milestone for Ola and a proud moment for our country as we rapidly progress towards realising our vision of moving the world to sustainable mobility solutions across shared and owned mobility,” Bhavish Aggarwal, Chairman and Group CEO, Ola, said.

More jobs

The plant is likely to create 10,000 jobs, and will be powered by Ola’s own proprietary AI Engine and tech stack that will be deeply integrated into all its systems.

Last week, Ola had selected ABB as one of its key partners for robotics and automation solutions for its factory that will roll out the Ola electric scooter.

Earlier this year Ola announced plans to hire over 2,000 people for its electric business as it rapidly builds a suite of electric and smart urban mobility solutions for consumers around the world. Recently, the company also roped in General Motor Veteran Jose Pinheiro to head its global manufacturing and operations.

Ola is close to launching the first in its range of electric scooters in the coming months