Ola develops its own maps, will save ₹100 crore annually
Ola, a prominent Indian ride-hailing company, has fully transitioned from Google Maps to its proprietary mapping service, Ola Maps. This strategic shift has led to a significant cost-saving milestone for the company, by eliminating an annual expenditure of ₹100 crore. "We used to spend ₹100 cr a year but we've made that 0 this month by moving completely to our in-house Ola maps!" announced Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO of Ola.
Ola Maps introduces new features
Ola encourages users to update their app to access new features of Ola Maps, including street view, neural radiance fields (NERFs), 3D maps, indoor images, and drone maps. The company has made the Ola Maps API available on Krutrim Cloud. This platform delivers a suite of location services, designed to support enterprises focusing on localized location services. Aggarwal urges users to embrace the transition for an improved user experience.
In-house mapping services: A closer look
Ola Maps offers foundational services such as Places API, Routing APIs, Tiles API, and Navigation SDKs for both iOS and Android. The Places API allows users to search for specific locations like restaurants or hotels while offering detailed information about these places. The Tiles API improves map loading efficiency by showing only necessary map sections. The Routing/Directions API creates optimized routes, directions, and travel time estimates. Navigation SDKs enable developers to integrate navigation features into their apps.
Ola's future plans: AI assistants and community-based features
Ola is creating MapGPT for natural conversations powered by location-aware AI assistants, and community-based facilities for real-time traffic and road condition updates. The firm recently migrated its entire database from AWS and Microsoft Azure to the Krutrim AI Cloud. This transition is estimated to save Ola an additional ₹15 crore. Aggarwal shared that these advancements are part of Ola's broader technological and economic initiatives in India.
Ola's advancements in battery technology
Aggarwal also revealed that Ola is in the early stages of developing solid-state batteries for its electric scooters. "We are in very early stages of our experimentation on solid state batteries," he stated. The CEO anticipates that by early 2025, Ola's own cells will power its e-scooters, aligning with the start of commercial production at Ola's cell 'gigafactory' in Tamil Nadu. This gigafactory has been selected for the Indian government's battery manufacturing incentive scheme.
