GM veteran to head Ola Electric’s manufacturing and ops

Bengaluru: Ride-hailing company Ola on Monday announced it has roped in GM (General Motors) veteran Jose Pinheiro as its head of global manufacturing and operations for its electric business.

Pinheiro would spearhead Ola’s ambition to build manufacturing facilities starting with one of the largest scooter factory and then expanding to multiple such facilities across India, the company said in a statement.

“The manufacturing facilities will enable Ola to rapidly bring to market its wide range of two-wheeler products currently under development,” the statement said.

A manufacturing veteran, Pinheiro was earlier the vice-president of manufacturing for General Motors Latin America based out of Sao Paulo and brings over 45 years of leadership experience, Ola said.

As the vice-president, he managed 16 GM industrial complexes across nine countries in two continents, the company said.

“Jose’s deep manufacturing expertise will be critical in building Olas entire range of two-wheeler products, starting with the soon-to-launch electric scooter,” the statement said.

Ola said its first electric scooter features a seamless design and removable ‘banana’ battery that is easy to carry and can be charged anywhere.

Ola plans to bring many such design and software innovations to its entire product line of two-wheelers as they come to market in the coming months, the statement said.