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Ola Electric teased their next electric scooter for months and finally delivered this weekend with the big reveal. The Ola S1 and S1 Pro models have just been announced, boasting high-tech features, best-in-class performance and incredibly low prices.
Produced locally in the giant electric scooter mega-factory of Ola with an expected capacity of 10 million vehicles per year, the S1 and S1 Pro electric scooters are deployed with an eye on domestic Indian sales and international exports.
Today scooters look like leaders in the local market, but tomorrow could see shockwaves reverberate globally.
This is because both models offer better performance than any other electric scooter of comparable size.
An 8.5 kW electric motor mounted as part of the scooter gives the S1 a top speed of 90 km / h (56 mph) and an even faster top speed in the S1 Pro of 115 km / h (71 mph ).
An innovative banana-shaped battery under the rider’s feet provides 3 kWh of capacity and 121 km (75 miles) of range. In the high spec S1 Pro, those numbers drop to 4 kWh and 181 km (112 mi) of range.
The battery is not removable, but can be recharged quickly in about 30 minutes. An 18 minute charge on an Ola fast charger will provide a range of 75 km (46 miles).
Most riders will likely charge overnight, while charging at home with a 750W portable charger will take around 4.5 hours on the S1 and 6.5 hours on the S1 Pro.
The battery foot mount lowers the scooter’s center of gravity and maximizes storage space under the seat.
Ola claims cyclists can stow two helmets in the 36L storage compartment. Most scooters require bolting to a large trunk to get close to this type of storage space.
The high performance scooters might not even be their main selling point. Instead, the tech-packed operating system is what really sets these scooters apart from pretty much anything out there on the market today.
The 121 kg (267 lb) scooters feature a large 7-inch color touchscreen that displays GPS-based map navigation in addition to typical performance readings on user-selectable skins.
Just like your cell phone, the scooter also contains a digital voice assistant. Say to the scooter “Hey Ola, put on some music.” will display your playlist and play songs from the scooter built-in speaker system.
Cyclists can even take calls through the scooter operating system by connecting their phones.
Speaking of phones, the scooter app offers a high level of control. Riders can open the trunk, adjust lighting, set geo-fence limits, change electronic sound profiles (or remove them entirely), create rider profiles and more.
Profiles can be installed on the scooter for friends and family members so that the scooter remembers each rider’s performance customizations and user interface changes.
Proximity sensors mean the scooter can unlock for the rider as they approach, no key required. Moving away from the scooter automatically locks it.
Compared to other leading electric scooters, Ola’s models not only offer better performance and more sophisticated features, they are also much more affordable. The price starts at Rs 99,999 (around US $ 1,350). Some Indian states have local incentives that lower the price down to 79,999 rupees (approximately US $ 1,050).
The scooters will be available in 10 different colors, with reservations opening on September 8 ahead of expected delivery in October.
Taking Electek
It’s hard to overstate how much of a problem this is, not only for India but for the world as well.
India is one of the largest two-wheeler markets in the world, but the vast majority are gas powered. Many Indian startups have presented interesting electrical solutions, but the higher prices have prevented wider adoption. Now Ola scooters can match both the performance and the price of many gasoline motorcycles in India.
But it’s not just about India anymore. While most electric scooter makers in India haven’t even started talking about exports, Ola made international exports a key part of the company’s plan from the start. With an initial production rate of 2 million vehicles per year in the company’s mega-factory, followed by a planned capacity of 10 million per year, Ola intends to export its electric scooters to the international market.
Prices will undoubtedly be higher outside of India, but when you start with a base of $ 1,350 there’s a lot of room to go. For comparison, I love my NIU NGT Pro electric scooter and it’s my daily rider, but it costs around $ 4,600 in the US and scores lower than the Ola S1 in just about every category.
So if Ola can start exporting an attractive, fast, high-tech electric scooter that costs less but does more than current market leaders, then we might very well consider a paradigm shift in the electric scooter industry towards a whole new type of vehicle.
I’m not normally that optimistic about a new launch, but damn it.
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