Ola Electric launches Ola S1 Air electric scooter for mass market

Ola Electric, manufacturer of electric vehicles, has launched the Ola S1 Air electric scooter for the mass market.

"Our objective has been to transform the Indian mobility landscape to electric and also make India a global leader in electrification. The next logical step for us is to launch a mass market scooter and that's what we've done today," said Bhavish Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Ola.

Ola S1 Air is built on the S1 platform and retains the design of the previous vehicles. Ola has re-engineered the powertrain and battery pack on the new scooter. Ola S1 Air is powered by a 2.5 kWh battery pack and a 4.5 kW hub motor. It also weighs less than S1 Pro and S1, at 99 kg. According to the company, the scooter is said to deliver a top speed of 85 km/hr and go from 0-40 km/hr in 4.3 seconds. It is also expected to deliver a range of 100 km in the eco mode under Indian driving conditions.

Ola S1 Air comes at an introductory price of Rs 79,999 for those who reserve the scooter for Rs 999 on or before Diwali, i.e. October 24, 2022. The purchase window for Ola S1 Air will open in February 2023 and deliveries are scheduled to commence from early April next year.

Ola has also introduced the MoveOS 3 operating system.

At a press conference to announce the launch, Bhavish said, “With the introduction of Ola S1 Air, we have transformed the everyday scooter from being merely functional to a sophisticated and technologically advanced product with the latest MoveOS features. Our mission of ensuring all 2Ws in India are electric by 2025 is in sight.”  

Starting from October 25, MoveOS 3 beta version will be open to all Ola S1 owners. They can sign up for it on the Ola website. This will be followed by a public rollout by December, said the company.

The latest upgrade will have more than 20 new features and improvements on performance, said the company. Some of the features on MoveOS 3 include proximity unlock, party mode, and compatibility with Ola Hypercharger, Ola's network of charging stations.

At Ola Hypercharger, users can charge their scooters up to 50 km in 15 minutes, at a charging speed of 3 km per minute. The Ola founder said there are about 50 Hyperchargers currently and they would be scaled up in 12 months.

Bhavish also said that the company has sold close to one lakh units of electric scooters. He said Ola manufactures 1,000 vehicles a day at the Future factory in Bengaluru. By early next year, the factory would reach its maximum capacity and the company would expand capacity, he said.

He said Ola Electric would bring out a product in every category of the vehicle segment and would bring an EV version in every ICE segment. There is a plan to venture into the premium bike segment and other categories.