India is among the world’s largest two-wheeler markets. Companies like Ola Electric, and Ather Energy, are pushing the revolution by packing in more power and features in their offerings while hot new launches like the Hero Vida are also raising the competition. Customers are looking towards electric two-wheelers especially due to the govt. FAME II subsidies which are even more attractive now given the aggressively priced products headed their way by some manufacturers.
The Bengaluru-based company, Ola Electric, is planning to launch an affordable electric scooter this Diwali, with reports suggesting a price mark of Rs. 80,000. Last year on the 15th of August, the electric manufacturer launched their S1 scooter starting at Rs. 99,999 with deliveries commencing by September 7. The S1 carries a lithium-ion battery pack of around 3 kW and 4 kW in its Pro variants. The new scooter, however, might come equipped with a smaller battery to manage its lesser cost. Being based on its S1 scooter, overall styling and looks can be expected to be on the same lines although a few features are likely to be dropped.
The S1 with its 3kw battery pack provides a claimed range of 141 km. The new product is expected to use the MoveOS software similar to the S1. Ola’s CEO – Bhavish Aggarwal, tweeted “Planning something BIG for our launch event this month! Will accelerate the #EndICEAge revolution by at least 2 years. Really excited.” On 6th October hinting at the new launch. A follow-up tweet along with a video on the 8th of October, “Our Diwali event will be on 22nd Oct. One of the biggest announcements ever from Ola. See you soon!” confirms the date of the launch of this awaited scooter as 22.10.2022.
Electric vehicle sales might be rising but a few major concerns are keeping potential buyers away from them no matter their cost. Majorly the battery fires that had plagued EVs of various manufacturers during the severe summer heat, then the charging infrastructure which hasn’t yet caught up with the number of EVs sold. The third is range anxiety. Although all these problems are steadily getting sorted out by new developments in battery management systems which are still some time away. With more customers preferring going the green way, the country’s electrification journey seems promising.