'LEGACY FIRMS DON'T KNOW THE GAME HAS CHANGED'

Ola Founder Bhavish Aggarwal on competition from legacy firms, his e-mobility dream, and future plans

- SOURAV MAJUMDAR AND PRERNA LIDHOO

SINCE LAST FEBRUARY, when he announced his mega electric two-wheeler project, Ola Founder Bhavish Aggarwal has been in the news for both the right and wrong reasons. In an exclusive interview with Business Today, Aggarwal, 36, talks about electric cars, Ola's IPO plans, and the incidents of fire. Edited excerpts:

On online complaints:

We're a social-focussed brand. So it's logical that complaints will also come on social [media]. But our complaints are not anywhere out of the ordinary. It's just amplified more. We've tried to break the norm that's why we're being targeted. Our model is unique in many ways. Not just the product, which is a huge disruptor in itself. There were electric two-wheelers made before us, but none of them were disruptive enough... Then the timeline in which we did it-we built that factory in seven months. The third piece is the go-to-market model. Consumers are used to a D2C model in other domains but not [in the] automotive [industry]... It's expected that the incumbents will feel a little uncomfortable with our approach. We started in December... In April and May we're much better off than December. Our goal is that [a] large majority of customer complaints should get solved in 24 hours... My prediction is that in a few years most automotive sales will be D2C. We're the first ones so we've [had] to face the music of building the infrastructure, building the capabilities, and also opening people's minds.

On EVS catching fire: