Ola launched its most affordable entry-level e-scooter, the S1 Air a few days back, at an introductory price of Rs. 79,999. This price was valid only till the 24th of October after which the price got raised to Rs. 84,999. The S1 Air is based on the S1 platform with a few changes to ensure the product’s affordability. The Air looks like a stripped-down, base model version of the upmarket-looking S1 with its black lower body panels instead of the body-coloured ones found on its premium siblings.
To keep costs in check, Ola has switched to simpler mechanicals and underpinnings as the S1 Air comes equipped with conventional steel wheels with drum brakes on either end with no option of upgrading to discs. Also gone is the unique, futuristic-looking single-sided front fork and in its place comes a normal telescopic unit with twin rear shock absorbers. What’s new with the S1 Air is the hub-mounted electric motor producing a peak power of 4.5kW reaching a top speed of 90km/h. The motor draws electricity from a smaller 2.5kWh battery pack which is good for a range of 101km in Eco mode.
This entry-level e-scooter is much lighter than the S1 Pro by almost 25 kilos, tipping the scales at just 99kgs, thanks to the smaller battery and simpler mechanicals. Ola has given the S1 Air three riding modes -Eco, Normal and Sport. More changes include the under-seat storage capacity that has gotten reduced by 2kgs to 34 litres and a basic single-piece tubular grab-rail at the rear. The e-scooter now sports a flat floorboard thanks to which buyers will find it much easier in carrying their luggage despite the massive boot.
The good news is that the S1 Air will come equipped with Ola’s new software -the Move OS 3.0 as standard enabling it to have features such as hill-hold functionality, proximity unlock, party mode, moods, multiple profiles so that users don’t have to share the passcodes or keys, full-LED lighting and speakers on the same large seven-inch colour TFT touchscreen display as offered on the expensive S1 & S1 Pro. The S1 Air, even after being cost-effective still sports reversing function and is offered with Four colour schemes—Neo Mint, Coral Glam, Jet Black, Porcelain White, and Liquid Silver. According to Ola, we can expect deliveries to begin in the first quarter of 2023.