Ola Electric commences deliveries of electric scooters

Finally, Ola Electric has started the deliveries of their scooters to the customers. Bhavish Aggarwal posted a video on Twitter in which the production-spec electric scooters were being prepared for the delivery and he wrote “Gaadi nikal chuki!”

Gaddi nikal chuki!
🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵🛵 pic.twitter.com/ZjttmnqBZo

— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) December 13, 2021

Earlier, the deliveries were expected to start from October-November but because of the chips shortage, the deliveries were delayed. The first 50 customers to take the delivery were given special treatment by Ola Electric.

Ola is not following the traditional dealership method for their scooters. Instead, the scooters will be delivered to the doorstep of the customer. If the customer wants to get a service for his scooter then he would be able to take an online appointment and a technician would show up at his/her place and service the scooter there only. If there is an accident and the customer wants to get his body and paint fixed then he would have to take the online appointment and a technician would show up at the house and take the scooter to Ola’s body shop, fix it and deliver it back to the customer.

The manufacturer has also started test drives of the Ola Scooters. So, people who have reserved the scooter by paying Rs. 499 have received the email through which they can book their slot for the test ride.

If the customers like the scooter and want to book it then they would need to pay Rs. 20,000 and then they would be eligible to pay the rest of the amount and get the delivery of the scooter.

The next booking window will be opened in January 2022, the exact date has not yet been shared by Ola Electric. The next batch of deliveries is expected to happen between April and March. Previously, the booking window would have opened on 1st November then it was postponed to December 16th and now it is in January.

Ola’s scooters

Ola has introduced two scooters in the Indian market. There is S1 and S1 Pro. The S1 is priced at Rs. 99,999 whereas the S1 Pro is priced at Rs. 1,29,999. The S1 has a top speed of 90 kmph, 0-40 acceleration time of 3.6 seconds and a riding range of 121 km. It has two riding modes, Normal and Sports.

The S1 Pro comes with a top speed of 115 kmph, 0-40 kmph acceleration time of 3 seconds and a riding range of 181 km. The S1 Pro also has an additional riding mode which is called Hyper. It is also available in more colours.

There are also features like cruise control, reverse mode and hill hold. You get a digital key, multiple profiles, voice commands, mobile phone connectivity, geofencing, navigation and a 7-inch touchscreen.

We have taken a short spin on Ola’s S1 Pro. It was a prototype so the phone connectivity was not working. Being an electric scooter, the power comes in immediately. The scooter feels comfortable. It handles pretty well and the brakes are also quite good.

Having said that, there are certain niggles that Ola needs to resolve. The charging flap seems flimsy, the plastic quality of which the scooter is made is just decent. If you are thinking of using a full-face helmet then you won’t be able to store it in the boot space of the scooter as it can only take half face helmets.

Moreover, when you let go of the throttle, the power delivery is not immediately cut. The scooter still keeps on accelerating for what seems like half a millisecond. It might not look like a big deal, but Ola’s scooter will be the first electric scooter for many people and this issue can be a bit unnerving. We hope that Ola will be able to sort these issues out before they start deliveries of the second batch.