Indias prominent ride-hailing company, Ola, has ceased using Google Maps for its cab operations and transitioned to its proprietary Ola Maps. Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and Chairman of Ola Group, highlighted that this strategic move is projected to save the company nearly Rs 100 crore annually.In a social media post, Aggarwal urged users to check their Ola apps for updates. After Azure exit last month, weve now fully exited Google Maps. We used to spend ₹100 crore a year but weve made that 0 this month by moving completely to our in-house Ola maps! Check your Ola app and update if needed, he stated on X.Enhanced Features on the HorizonAggarwal also announced that Ola Maps would soon integrate various advanced features, including street view, NERFs, indoor images, 3D maps, and drone maps. Many more features coming soon - street view, NERFs, indoor images, 3D maps, drone maps, etc! he added in his post.Acquisition and Technological AdvancementsIn October 2021, Ola acquired GeoSpoc, a Pune-based geospatial services provider. The acquisition has enabled Ola Maps to offer enhanced services for its primary ride-hailing app, Ola Cabs. Last month, Aggarwal ended all ties with Microsoft Azure, transitioning the companys entire workload to the in-house Artificial Intelligence (AI) firm Krutrim. At the launch of Krutrim AI, Ola announced plans to offer a mapping solution within its cloud services. Recently, Aggarwal mentioned, Early next year is when you can see our own cells in our own products. Ola is currently constructing a battery cell gigafactory in the Krishnagiri District of Tamil Nadu.EV Adoption SurgeMeanwhile, a recent report indicates that the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Indias two-wheeler sector has significantly increased over the past two months, despite the incentives being nearly halved in April. This market shift has led to notable changes, with Ola Electrics market share declining and TVS Motor Co Ltd (TVSL) seeing an increase
