Ratan Tata ignited passion for EVs, inspired to set up Ola Electric: Bhavish Aggarwal

Ola Founder Bhavish Aggarwal on Thursday said Ratan Tata ignited the passion for electric vehicles (EVs) in him that led to the establishment of Ola Electric. In a post on X titled "Ratan Tata, my personal hero", Aggarwal outlined how Tata played a key role in setting up Ola Electric.

"The one story I'd like to share today is his key role in the founding of my second company Ola Electric. One day in 2017 I got a call from him asking me to come to Mumbai. He just said - 'Bhavish I want to take you somewhere and show you something exciting'," he stated.

He further said, "We flew in his plane to Coimbatore to see his personal project making electric vehicles out of the Tata Nano! He was so passionate and excited about electric vehicles. He even drove me in one on a test track and then pointed out such detailed improvements to the engineers."

That was the day Ola electric really got started -- as he ignited the passion for EVs and cars in me, Aggarwal said.

"After that, almost every product that we conceptualised and designed, I would go and show him the concepts and he would patiently sit with me and ideate and give feedback," he said.

Aggarwal said he was at a loss with Tata's passing away.

"His loss feels so personal because it is for me. He was my hero growing up, like for so many others... My relationship with Mr Tata started in 2008. I was graduating from IIT Bombay and he was the guest speaker at our convocation. I was a young kid but his words that day stayed with me - to serve one's country," he wrote.

"In 2015, I got the chance to meet Mr Tata and he decided to invest in Ola. But my interactions with him didn't end there. They had just begun! Mr Tata was like no other business leader I have ever met," he added.

Aggarwal said Tata took personal interest in his journey.

He noted that Tata's love for animals and dogs also grew on him.

"In fact, such was his love for dogs that many times when I went to his office, I would notice street dogs proudly sitting right there next to him inside his office! With this inspiration, we decided to open Ola offices and factories to stray dogs and today we have almost 30 of them living in our facilities," he stated.

"The last time I met him was a year ago to share the news of Ola Electric's IPO and he as usual was gracious and curious. He was frail but his enthusiasm for cars was as high as ever, and his encouragement for me was as strong as ever," Aggarwal said.

"I will deeply miss him. India will deeply miss him. And there will be no one like him again," he added.

Tata, the former Tata Group chairman, breathed his last at Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital at 11.30 pm on Wednesday. He was 86.