Ola launches Tesla-inspired 4680 cells in India! A significant advancement or mere marketing?

Ola Electric has integrated their next generation scooters with latest Tesla-inspired 4680 cells, marking it an important milestone in India’s rising EV technology. However, these are not advertised as just a marketing gimmick, but are a major improvement in battery architecture that will redefine electric mobility. 

What is 4680 Cells?

These cells are defined with their dimensions, measuring 46 mm in diameter and 80 mm in height, which signifies that 4680 cells are substantially larger than the conventional 21700 cells. This enormous size helps in increasing the active battery material, thus providing 5x more energy per cell. Let’s understand its benefits over the traditional battery cell. 

• Enhanced Range Via Energy Density: The substantial volume of the 4680 cells results in the increase of energy density, providing higher range on a single charge. 
• Faster Charging Via “Tabless” Tech: The conventional batteries come with “tabs” that create bottlenecks for electron flow, which is responsible for heat generation. On the other hand, the 4680 cells feature a tabless design that reduces internal resistance, which results in rapid charging speeds, while regulating the temperature of batteries. 

• Advanced Thermal Management: The tabless design also keeps the batteries cooler during operation and charging, which results in a slower degradation of chemical components, ensuring a longer battery life and superior reliability over the years. 

S1 Pro Gen 3 introduced with 4680 Cell

This advanced battery technology is finally integrated with Ola S1 Pro Gen 3 scooters. This scooter comes with a 5.2 kWh battery pack, equipped with indigenous Bharat Cells. The scooter provides an impressive range of 320 Km (IDC) with a maximum power of 13 kW and can accelerate from 0-40 km/h in just 2.1 seconds, thus proving that 4680 cells is a perfect blend of power and efficiency.