Ola Expands Network To 4K Stores, Launches S1 Pro Sona

EV startup Ola Electric has announced the opening of 3,200 new stores, expanding its existing network of showrooms and service centres to 4,000.

The move is aimed at driving EV adoption beyond metro and Tier I and II cities into smaller towns and tehsils across the country.

Bhavish Aggarwal, founder and managing director of Ola Electric, said in an X post that “#SavingsWalaScooter is now accessible to every Indian.”

Apart from opening new stores, the company has launched a limited edition electric scooter ‘Ola S1 Pro Sona’, which comes with 24-karat gold plated elements and customised MoveOS dashboard, which allows users to personalise ride modes and settings.

Ola Electric further said that it has also rolled out the beta version of MoveOS 5, giving Ola riders access to features such as group navigation, live location sharing, road trip mode powered by Ola Maps, smart charging, tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) alerts, among others.

Other feature updates include ADAS that will give collision warning, Smart Park that will help Ola riders detect obstacles while parking and Krutrim-powered voice control assistant.

The expansion  comes at a time when Ola Electric is facing intense competition in the electric vehicle two-wheeler market from legacy automakers TVS Motor and Bajaj Auto, as well as other EV players like Ather Energy.

Ola’s market share in the EV 2W segment shrank to 24% in November from 46.1% in June, according to Vahan data. On the other hand, the market share of TVS Motor and Bajaj Auto rose from 14.8% to 23%, and 11.3% to 22%, respectively, during the same period.

The company has also seen its public image deteriorate in recent months due to factors ranging from poor after-sales service to government probe to safety issues with its EVs.

However, these headwinds haven’t stopped Ola from rolling out new products, including electric motorcycles, electric three-wheelers and low-speed electric scooters. 

Ola Electric posted a net loss of INR 495 Cr in the second quarter of the ongoing fiscal year (Q2 FY25) on an operating revenue of INR 1,214 Cr.

It was also reported earlier that the company was looking to sack around 500 employees in a bid to streamline operations and achieve profitability.

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