Electric scooter maker Ola Electric is eyeing a fivefold increase in its store count from 800 outlets currently to 4,000 distribution centres by December 20, 2024.

“Going from 800 stores right now to 4000 stores this month itself. Goal to be as close to our customers as possible. All stores opening together on 20th Dec across India. Probably the biggest single day store opening ever!” says Ola Electric chairman and managing director Bhavish Aggarwal, adding that all stores will have service capacity.

Ola Electric retains market leadership despite traditional two-wheeler rivals ramping up EV sales through their decades-old dealer networks. The company's 800 stores are only one-fifth of the rival distribution points.

Retail sales of Ola Electric, India’s largest e-scooter maker, fell to 29,196 units in November from 41,775 units in October. While its lead over TVS Motor and Bajaj Auto has narrowed, Ola continued to corner around 25% market share in electric two-wheelers. Legacy automaker TVS Motor Company, the second-largest EV maker, sold 26,974 units in November.

While India is swiftly moving towards electric mobility, Ola Electric's massive network expansion will be a pivotal moment in the country's journey towards the end of ICE age, says Aggarwal. “With our wide D2C network and the touchpoints under our Network Partner Program, we will cover the entire country beyond tier-I and tier-2 cities,” says Aggarwal.

With over 3,200 new stores set to open, Ola Electric will operate India's largest EV distribution network, covering all the country's pincodes. “It is one of the world's most significant expansions of the EV footprint, bolstering access, growth, and adoption in the country. All the newly launched stores will be co-located with service facilities, strengthening the company's service network across the country,” the electric two-wheeler maker says.

Ola Electric in September this year said it plans to double its service network to 1,000 centres by December 2024. The service and sales network expansion announcement came after customer complaints on social media about service delays.

The company recently announced the launch of its Gig and S1 Z scooter range, comprising Ola Gig, Ola Gig+, Ola S1 Z, and Ola S1 Z+, available at an introductory price of ₹39,999 (ex-showroom), ₹49,999 (ex-showroom), ₹59,999 (ex-showroom), and ₹64,999 (ex-showroom), respectively.

In October, Ola Electric received a show cause notice from the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) for alleged violation of consumer rights, misleading advertisement and unfair trade practices.

Electric vehicles currently comprise 20% of scooter sales in India. However, only 5% of all two-wheeler sales are EVs because two-thirds of India’s two-wheeler market consists of motorcycles. To further expand its business, Ola Electric is eyeing the light-weight commuter motorcycle segment which constitutes 75% of India’s two-wheeler market.