Mint Explainer | Why Ola Electric is scrambling for cash
₹2,000 crore stake sale in its battery arm, Ola Cell Technologies Private Ltd, after its board earlier approved a ₹1,500 crore fundraise through share or securities issuance.The push comes as falling scooter sales and a weakening balance sheet tighten liquidity, even as the company doubles down on its capital-intensive cell business.Mint looks at what is driving the company’s fundraising push.The urgency stems from a sharp deterioration in its core business.In 2025, Ola Electric’s sales more than halved to nearly 200,000 electric scooters, while rivals such as TVS Motor Co., Bajaj Auto and Ather Energy gained ground.In the October-December quarter, revenue fell to a record low of ₹504 crore, while losses stood at ₹487 crore, compared with ₹564 crore a year earlier.Analysts say the pressure is now visible on its balance sheet.“(A) turnaround would necessitate Ola to have a strong cash balance to survive this phase. However, as per our calculations, Ola has turned net debt as of 9MFY26 ( ₹670 crore) from net cash of ₹160 crore in H1FY26.
Upside risk could stem from a strategic stake sale in the battery business, resulting in meaningful cash infusion,” analysts at Emkay Global wrote in a 14 February note.Ola Electric is currently the only company in India to have operationalized a lithium-ion gigafactory, with an initial capacity of 1.4 GWh at its Krishnagiri facility. The unit supplies cells for its electric scooters and underpins its newer battery energy storage system (BESS) business, Ola Shakti, which has begun selling home inverters.The company expects the BESS segment to generate ₹1,000 crore in revenue by FY27, about a fourth of its FY25 annual revenue, making the battery business a critical growth driver.At the same
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