Ola's 4680 Bharat Cell Is a Big Deal. So Is Everything That Could Go Wrong

India's EV makers have always assembled vehicles around imported cells from China, South Korea, or Japan. Ola decided to take the matters into its own hands and launch 4690 Bharat cells, which recently got certified sending its shares by 4 percent. 

So, what are these cells and will they really turn the tables for a massively deprecated and failing EV maker

What Makes the 4680 Format Different

The 4680 name is just 46 mm wide, 80 mm tall. The real innovation is the tabless electrode design. Conventional cells use a metal tab to carry current out of the cell, creating resistance and heat concentration.

 In the 4680, electrodes connect directly to the cell's ends, shortening the current path, reducing resistance, and enabling faster, cooler charging. Fewer, larger cells per pack also means simpler, cheaper pack assembly.

Where and How It's Made

The cell is manufactured at the Ola “Gigafactory” in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, a 115-acre facility adjacent to the Futurefactory. Construction began June 2023; Phase 1 was operational by March 2024.

The Gigafactory handles the full cell stack in-house: electrode production → cell assembly → cell formation. This is not pack assembly from imported cells. Ola is making the actual electrochemical cells. R&D happens at the Battery Innovation Centre (BIC) in Bengaluru, equipped with 165+ specialised instruments covering material synthesis, characterisation, and prototyping.

Which Vehicles Use It

The Bharat Cell currently powers multiple Ola products across both mobility and energy storage segments. The Ola S1 Pro+ uses a 5.2 kWh battery pack and claims a 320 km IDC-certified range, with prices starting at ₹1,24,999. The Ola Roadster X+ features a 4.5 kWh Bharat Cell pack and is also PLI-certified. 

Commercial-focused Ola Gig and Gig+ models use a smaller 1.5 kWh removable battery pack, while the Ola Shakti home energy storage system is offered in 1.5 kWh, 5.2 kWh, and 9.1 kWh variants.

Bharat Cell platform was opened to external startups and businesses in January 2026, targeting drones, medical devices, and automotive applications.

The Problems With Bharat Cells And OLA In General

Ola Electric currently has multiple challenges to deal with, the biggest being the growing number of complaints from thousands of dissatisfied customers regarding the poor quality and reliability of its scooters.

In some parts of South India, frustrated owners have even publicly set scooters on fire out of anger over recurring issues and unsatisfactory after-sales support.

At the same time, Ola's adoption of the 4680 cell format, one popularised by an equally embattled Elon Musk and Tesla, brings its own layer of concern. This isn't just about Ola's track record anymore.

Five years after Tesla's famous Battery Day, its in-house 4680 cells are delivering 13% less energy density, worse charging curves, and less real-world range than the LG and Panasonic cells they were supposed to replace.

Electrek recently reported how European buyers, among the most demanding and consumer-protection-savvy in the world, found Tesla's 4680-equipped models measurably inferior to their Korean cell-powered predecessors. 

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This isn't an apples-to-apples comparison. Ola's Bharat Cell uses a different NMC formulation, and the two-wheeler use case is far less punishing than a car. 

But the point stands: if Tesla, a company valued at over a trillion dollars with years of dedicated cell R&D, a mature Gigafactory in Texas, and zero financial distress, is still struggling to match the performance of established cell suppliers, the questions that raises for Ola are uncomfortable ones.

Ola is a company that missed its own PLI capacity deadline, was credit-downgraded by ICRA, has Rs 2,829 crore of IPO funds parked in fixed deposits, and whose commercial 4680 production is less than a year old. The Bharat Cell may well prove itself over time, that's the trick here OVER TIME.

Given everything stacked against Ola right now, buyers and investors would be right to watch the next 12 months of real-world cell performance very closely before declaring the story a success.