Ola Leaves Google Maps, Starts Using Own Mapping Service, to Save Rs 100 Crore

Ola, which provides cab services through an app, has created its own mapping service. Earlier, it was using Google Maps. Recently, Ola left Microsoft’s Azure platform. Ola competes with Uber in the country. The company has said that by leaving Google Maps service, it will save Rs 100 crore annually.

“After leaving Azure last month, we have completely moved out of Google Maps. We used to spend around Rs 100 crore on it. Shifting to our in-house Ola Maps service has reduced this spend to zero,” Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said in a post on social media platform X.

Its electric vehicle unit Ola Electric has stepped up efforts to develop solid-state batteries for its electric scooters. Aggarwal said that Ola’s own cells can be used in the company’s electric scooters from the beginning of next year. The company is setting up a factory for this in Tamil Nadu. Last month, Ola Electric’s sales grew by about 107 percent on a year-on-year basis. Last month, 36,716 units of the company’s electric scooters were registered. The company claims that its share in this segment is about 46 percent.

Ola Electric’s sales grew by about 57 percent in the first quarter of the current financial year. The company’s sales in the first half of this calendar year have been more than two lakh units. It is the first electric two-wheeler company to reach this figure in such a short period. Last month, the company updated its S1 X electric scooter with new features. These features include Find My Scooter and Vacation Mode. This electric scooter will not have to be taken to the service center for software updates. Vacation mode is activated when the customer does not use the electric scooter for a long period. Apart from this, information related to S1 X ride and battery status will also be available. S1 X has been made available in 2 kW, 3 kW and 4 kW battery options.