Ola launches first ‘non-vehicle’ product ‘Shakti’— It's neither HomePod, nor inverter. What is it?

Ola Electric launched its first non-vehicle product, Shakti, at 10:00 am on 16 October, marking the company's entry into the energy storage segment. The launch signals a strategic shift for the EV manufacturer, which has so far focused on electric two-wheelers.

Prior to the launch, online speculation swirled around the product’s identity, with some users guessing it might be a smart speaker like Apple’s HomePod.

Bhavish Aggarwal, chairman and Managing Director of Ola Electric, introduced “Shakti,” an in-house-developed app-based energy storage device. Described as portable and intelligent, the product is positioned as a multipurpose product for power backup, solar storage and mobile energy needs. He said, “It is a single product for power backup, solar storage, for voltage stabilisation and for localised portability.”

Bhavish Aggarwal said the company aims to build vertically integrated energy storage, including domestic battery deployment and supply chain management.

He added, “Ola Electric will not only deploy batteries in India but also build the supply chain from the ground up.” With this, Ola enters India’s ₹1 lakh crore Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) market.

The product teaser featured the word “Shakti (energy)” in Hindi. The product is built using a Li-Ion NMC battery based on Ola's existing 4,680 Cell Technology. It will be available in three capacities — 1.5kWh, 5.2kWh and 9.1kWh. The introductory price of the smallest variant starts at ₹39,999, while the 5.2kWh variant will cost ₹1,49,999 onwards. The starting price of the largest 9.1kWh variant is ₹1,99,999.

Social media reaction

A user wrote, "@bhash launches Ola Shakti, a battery in three different variants to power the domestic and commercial usage including charging their scooters."

A second user remarked, “Ola Shakti sounds super impressive! If the price is right it will be a game changer.”

A third comment read, “Ola Electric redefining energy storage with Ola Shakti! Innovation, Innovation and Innovation!🙌”

A fourth user wrote, “Wow! No need to change the wiring for the inverter — that’s really a great invention.”

Originally scheduled for launch on 17 October to coincide with Diwali, the event was advanced. A teaser shared by Aggarwal on 14 October hinted at the product’s focus on personal energy tech, stating, “Power has always been a utility, but now it becomes Deep Tech—intelligent, portable, and personal.”