Amid Safety Issues, Ola Electric Expands S1 Escooter Lineup, Retail Play

Even as issues have been reported with the safety and build quality of its existing lineup of electric scooters, Bengaluru-based Ola Electric on Thursday (February 9) launched two new variants of escooters at lower price points.

The variants update the existing Ola S1 and Ola S1 Air scooters as Ola Electric looks to extend its lead in the electric scooter segment, which it has led in terms of registrations for the past few months.  

Ola Electric cofounder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said in a YouTube video that the new Ola S1 model comes with a 2 kWh battery capacity providing a range of 91 km with a top speed of 90 km/h. However, the new model has the same 8.5 kW motor as its existing lineup, which are available in 3kWh and 4kWh battery capacities and higher ranges.

The new variant of Ola S1 Air scooter comes with a 2 kWh battery and a range of 85 km. Its ex-showroom price is INR 84,999. It comes with the same 4.5 kW motor as the previous two Ola S1 Air variants, which were available in 3kWh and 4kWh battery capacities.

The new Ola S1’s ex-showroom price is INR 99,999, lower than the two earlier launched models that start from INR 1,09,999 and INR 1,29,999. The launch of a new escooter in the Ola S1 category comes almost six months after its last affordable model was launched in August last year. 

Aggarwal claimed the new variant would have the same great acceleration and performance as the other variants but it’s more affordable because of the smaller battery pack. 

“We launched the S1 Air last year to bring you the same great design and technology as the S1 but in a much more affordable package. The performance with its open 5kW hub motor outcompetes most ICE scooters. Today we are bringing the same three pack options of 2 kWh, 3kWh, 4kWh for you,” Aggarwal said.

While customers can buy the new S1 variant from today onwards, the S1 Air variant can be reserved from today but the company will start the deliveries in July.

“We had to push out deliveries by three months to accommodate the new choices we brought to you today,” added Aggarwal.

The announcements come months after Aggarwal said in a blog post that Ola Electric would launch more electric two-wheeler models in 2023 and 2024, which would include a mass market scooter, a  mass market motorcycle, and multiple premium motorcycles.

Besides the new variant launches, Ola Electric also showed a teaser of its upcoming electric bike but did not provide any further details about its expected launch.

It must be noted that the startup had also shown a teaser video of its upcoming electric car in June last year. With multiple things on its plate already, Ola Electric said in August that its first electric car would be launched in 2024. The company has raised a total of $886 Mn so far

After facing a significant downturn mid-2022, the current demand surge for Ola Electric’s scooters has partially been driven by the opening of experience centres and more affordable vehicle models. 

Despite an overall slump in the electric two-wheeler space due to issues around the FAME-II subsidy scheme, Ola Electric’s total EV registrations rose 5% month-on-month to 18,220 units in January.

However, it is pertinent to note that earlier Ola Electric has faced criticism for multiple issues with its vehicles and its after-sales service. From Ola S1 scooter fire to faults reported in Ola S1 Pro’s regenerative braking system and significant delays in deliveries as well as poor services, Ola Electric’s customers have flooded social media with a host of complaints. 

Meanwhile, the company also said that it has opened 200 experience centres across the country and is looking to increase this number to 500 by March. 

To augment its revenue from services, the startup also launched ‘Ola Care Subscription’ plan recently to provide after-sales service to its customers.