Electric scooter maker Ola Electric on August 15 launched a new entry-level electric scooter S1X, which is being touted to be the company’s most affordable ride, in an effort to woo more buyers away from gasoline-fueled transportation. With this, Ola’s electric two-wheeler lineup went from 2 scooters to a total of five scooters.
The S1X has been launched in two battery options. One is a 2 Kilowatt-hour battery pack version with an introductory price of Rs 79,999 for the first week i.e, August 21, after which the price will be hiked to Rs 89,999. The other with a 3KWh pack which will cost Rs 89,999 till August 21 after which the price will be hiked to Rs 99,999. The S1X+ also has a 3KWh battery but with more connected features. It comes at an introductory price of Rs 99,999 till August 21 after which the price will be increased to Rs 1,09,999.
Equipped with a lighter battery, improved thermal performance and additional safety, the S1X has a range of 151 kilometre on a single charge and a top speed of 90 km/hour.
Ola Electric’s founder and chief executive Bhavish Aggarwal said, “Our goal is that we have to make EVs cost the same as internal combustion engines.”
“With a bigger range of scooters coming in, a bigger portion of the public will be able to participate in buying their first EV, which will be the proof of the pudding both with respect to the total cost of ownership and ridership and define the growth of the sector,” underscored Som Kapoor, Partner, EY India.
The scooter maker also launched an upgraded version of their previously launched Ola S1 Pro with their updated technology, called Gen 2, to deliver higher speeds and enhanced range. The Ola S1 Air, which was launched less than a month ago, will also offer all the Gen 2 specifications.
“The new launches are great for the company as well as for the customers as it adds to Ola’s product portfolio and it’d mean more options for customers to choose from,” said Suraj Ghosh, vice president at autonomous mobility company Minus Zero.
The company also made its entry into the motorbike category with four new concept electric bikes which will be launched towards the end of 2024. The four models are named -Diamondhead (super sports EV), Adventure, Roaster (ideal for street use) and Cruiser.
These motorbikes will be designed and engineered in-house and most of the equipment will be shared except for the final assembly line, Aggarwal told the media during a roundtable. The company will be doubling its existing production capacity to 2 million in the next 6-9 months.
It unveiled the company's first lithium cell to be integrated into vehicle upgrades next year. A 100 gigawatt-hour (GWh) cell production plant is being set up, the first phase of which with 5GWhr will be complete early next year. Moreover, Ola’s EV charging station network, which is currently at 10,000 points across the country, is expected to “close to double” this year, the CEO added.
The company introduced its MoveOS4 update with over 100 enhancements and more than 20 new features, including Ola Maps, temper alert, hill descent, find my scooter, geofencing and time fencing. The Beta rollout for the same will start from September 15 onwards, after which it will be available for all customers to use. It also announced the launch of over 100 new service centres across the country.
Ola Electric expects to enter the global market by the end of 2023 or early next year. Refusing to name the markets being targetted, Aggarwal said it could be in the Southeast Asia region.
The company since inception (January 2021) till March 2023 has sold over 3 lakh scooters, with the majority of the demand coming from beyond tier 2 and tier 3 cities, especially in the north.
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