The institute will focus on leveraging the ‘disruptive’ potential of mobility as a growth and innovation for India’s economy
Ola, a ride-hailing platform, has announced the launch of Ola Mobility Institute. The institute will focus on leveraging the ‘disruptive’ potential of mobility as a growth and innovation for India’s economy.
“Mobility touches everyone, everyday, everywhere in the world. The ongoing revolution in this sector promises to improve the lives of citizens, create significant employment and livelihood opportunities, and dramatically reduce congestion and pollution in cities. Every kilometre driven in a shared vehicle contributes to this, and the Ola Mobility Institute will work to ensure innovations continue to have a positive impact,” said Anand Shah, senior vice-president for strategic initiatives at Ola.
It includes an initial team of strategic thinkers, researchers, academics and policy specialists trained around the world, including the Indian Institutes of Technology, Harvard University, Oxford University, King’s College London, the School of Planning and Architecture, the California Institute of Technology and the Indian School of Business.
The institute is recruiting a global advisory board and will add a dozen mobility experts to its team over the next year.
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The unit will initially focus on knowledge frameworks to better understand the social and economic impact around five centres of excellence: mobility as a service, the climate footprint of mobility innovations, skill development and job creation, transportation-oriented urban planning, and the digitization of mobility.
The institute already launched “Mission: Electric” early this year, to convene mobility providers and leverage their fleets to make electric mobility viable at scale. It builds on Ola’s extensive knowledge base, data capabilities, and practical experience in putting hundreds of electric vehicles on road.