New information about the OLA electric scooter is out. The top variant of the Ola Electric Scooter, is rumored to be named the S-Series, will have a real world range of 150 km on a single charge.
|
OLA Electric is all set to release the OLA electric scooter. The Ola Series S, this brand-new electric scooter has received some 1 Lakh bookings with a mere 499/- Rs. booking deposit amount. Ola also announced that it will directly deliver the vehicles to people's homes.
To top it all, it is rumored to have a range of 150 kms on a single charge. Ola had hinted at its targeted range, stating the scooter can charge to 50 percent in just 18 minutes at one of its ‘Hypercharger’ stations, which would give it a range of up to 75 kilometres. It's ARAI-certified range figure would be higher still, expected to be somewhere between 180-190 kilometres. The OLA scooter will come with different ride modes that will bring mode-specific speed limits and different range estimates. Also there are rumors that the Ola Electric scooter will come with fixed batteries and not removable ones. Ola Electric will have charging stations, both slow and fast, in 100 cities across India at the time of the Series S launch. They will eventually cover more than 400 cities. It's decision to sell directly to buyers online means it can retail its e-Scooter in practically every city in India right from day one. The Ola Electric Series S e-Scooter also claims to have the largest under-seat storage in its category, with the ability to accommodate two half-face helmets. It will be available in a total of ten colour options and prices may range between Rs 80,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh. |
|
|
|
PluginIndia's Take
​So looks like OLA wont appoint dealers all over India. They may have company showrooms, experience and service centers in few major cities. The challenge for OLA would be to create a service network all over India. A scooter cannot be treated like a home appliance, where people just replace a faulty one with a new product. One lakh people from all over India have booked the OLA scooter. Now if OLA does not have a service network to match the spread of sales, then many people will be disappointed. This is going to be an area of concern.
Another disappointing design decision, we have observed is the elimination of removable modular banana shaped batteries. Many people would like to remove the battery and charge them at home and if OLA sells the scooter with a fixed battery, then it might deal breaker for many potential EV owners. We will keep an eye out on further announcement from the OLA team.
​So looks like OLA wont appoint dealers all over India. They may have company showrooms, experience and service centers in few major cities. The challenge for OLA would be to create a service network all over India. A scooter cannot be treated like a home appliance, where people just replace a faulty one with a new product. One lakh people from all over India have booked the OLA scooter. Now if OLA does not have a service network to match the spread of sales, then many people will be disappointed. This is going to be an area of concern.
Another disappointing design decision, we have observed is the elimination of removable modular banana shaped batteries. Many people would like to remove the battery and charge them at home and if OLA sells the scooter with a fixed battery, then it might deal breaker for many potential EV owners. We will keep an eye out on further announcement from the OLA team.
Subscribe to PluginIndia on YouTube to follow the Indian EV Industry and EV Community. Also subscribe to our podcast.