Ola Electric Mobility Ltd. has claimed that its homegrown 4680 Bharat Cell and, consequently, the prospect of client loss in India is forcing South Korea’s LG Energy Solution Ltd. to attack indigeniously developed battery technology.
“The fear of losing market opportunities, including a significant customer in Ola Electric, is prompting the foreign rival to attack an indigenous battery innovation,” the electric two-wheeler maker said in a stock exchange filing on Sunday (9 November 2025). “The timing of this selective leak to South Korean media, and its swift, unverified replication by a section of the Indian press, appears dubious at best.”
“The reality is this: as Ola Electric scales up production of the 4680 Bharat Cell, investing heavily in R&D and manufacturing infrastructure, a misleading narrative of tech intrigue is being weaponised to undercut India’s emergence as a global player in advanced energy technology.”
According to media reports, an unnamed South Korean publication recently claimed that an unnamed former LG Energy Solution executive attempted to pass on IPs of pouch-cell technology to Ola Electric. To this, Ola Electric said, “4680 Bharat Cell is based on the most advanced dry electrode technology in a cylindrical form factor and surpasses the pouch cell touted in media leaks.”
What is 4680 Bharat Cell?
The 4680 Bharat Cell is a lithium-ion battery cell manufactured by Ola Cell Technologies Pvt. Ltd. at its Ola Gigafactory in Tamil Nadu. The name ‘4680’ refers to its form factor — 46 mm in diameter and 80 mm in height.
With the 4680 Bharat Cell, Ola Electric claims to be the first Indian company to fully own the battery pack and cell-manufacturing process for its electric vehicles in-house. That ties in with its so-called “vertically integrated” manufacturing processes.
The company has started using these cylindrical cells in some of its products, as well as for its Ola Shakti battery packs.
“The insidious media report emerges at a telling time, just as Ola’s 4680 Bharat Cell has entered commercial production,” Ola Electric went on to say. “The 4680 Bharat Cell represents India’s first indigenous large-format cell and directly competes with Korean majors in the domestic market.”
Ola Cell Operations
According to the exchange filing, Ola Electric has 720 patent filings, “of which 124 are granted”. The company, however, didn’t specify how many are for the 4680 Bharat Cell.
The billionaire Bhavish Aggarwal-led company has set up Battery Innovation Centre in Bengaluru for R&D and a Gigafactory for production of 4680 Bharat Cell at a total capex of ₹2,500 crore.