Ola’s electric scooter is back in the news now, this time with reports of mechanical failures. The scooter in recent months has been in the news following incidents of battery fire, a management exodus and more than one incident of the scooter being involved in an accident leaving riders hospitalised. Now social media is abuzz with complaints about the durability of the scooter’s front suspension with owners taking to Twitter to report the premature failure of the part.
The first incident was reported by a Sreenadh Menon who said the front suspension unit failed while he was out riding. Following the tweet, a second user came forward posting that his scooter had suffered a similar failure but after it had impacted a wall at 25 kmph. One user shared multiple images of Ola scooters with similar suspension failures though we cannot corroborate when or where these incidents took place.
@OlaElectric @bhash
The front fork is breaking even in small speed driving and it is a serious and dangerous thing we are facing now, we would like to request that we need a replacement or design change on that part and save our life from a road accident due to poor material usd pic.twitter.com/cgVQwRoN5t— sreenadh menon (@SreenadhMenon) May 24, 2022
This isn’t the first time such as incident was reported with images of an Ola scooter with a broken front suspension having floated around the internet once before in an incident where the scooter reportedly collided with another vehicle.
As per a source, Ola is currently investigating the incidents with three reported cases of the front suspension failing were due to the vehicle being involved in accidents. Ola Electric has yet to respond to queries from carandbike in regards to the incident.
The suspension is a key component for any vehicle and is designed to withstand the daily rigours of driving. Given that Indian roads are rarely in the best of conditions, manufacturers make the systems robust to survive on the road. The failure of the front suspension on the Ola scooter, therefore, brings forth a great safety concern with the single-sided unit a key component holding the front wheel to the body.
Ola’s electric scooter has been plagued with numerous issues since its launch with complaints ranging from software glitches, the scooter getting stuck in reverse, issues with the quality, inconsistent range, breakdowns and more.
The company has meanwhile been pushing forward with the development of an electric car and plans to go global in the coming years. Ola recently announced a ₹ 10,000 hike in prices of its scooter.
Highlights
- Owner claims suspension broke while riding at low speed
- Ola S1 uses a single-sided front fork
- The company recently hiked the price of its electric scooter