Amaan AhmedSep 07, 2021 16:24:13 IST
While Ola Electric revealed nearly everything a buyer would need to know about its first electric scooter, the Ola S1, at the time of launch, it held back one vital detail – the warranty on the scooter and its battery. With electric vehicles, the manufacturer’s warranty offer is even more important, as lithium-ion batteries that power EVs witness degradation over years of use, and are eventually due for replacement, which entails a significant expense for the owner. Now, Ola Electric has finally revealed its warranty plan for the S1 and S1 Pro electric scooters.
Ola S1 electric scooter battery warranty, vehicle warranty details revealed
In a blog post, Ola Electric has confirmed the Ola S1 and S1 Pro will come with a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty for their battery packs. For reference, the Ola S1 has a 2.98 kWh lithium-ion battery, while the Ola S1 Pro has a 3.97 kWh lithium-ion battery – the biggest battery yet seen on a production electric two-wheeler in India. The warranty on the Ola S1 scooter itself is three years or 40,000 kilometres, whichever comes first.
The Ola S1 has a 2.98 kWh lithium-ion battery, while the Ola S1 Pro has a 3.97 kWh lithium-ion battery. Image: Ola Electric
For perspective, Ola Electric’s biggest rival at this time, Ather Energy, also provides a three-year warranty on both the 450/450X electric scooter as well as its battery. The three-year warranty may seem insubstantial to several buyers, seeing as how Revolt Intellicorp – which makes the RV400 e-motorcycle – offers an eight-year, 1,50,000-kilometre warranty on the bike’s battery.
Ola S1 electric scooter: Purchase plans to go live on 8 September
Those wanting to purchase the scooter by paying the entire price up front will have to pay Rs 20,000 for the S1 (Rs 25,000 for the S1 Pro) on 8 September, with the remaining amount to be paid at the time of invoicing. This amount is refundable till the time a customer’s scooter is shipped from the factory.
To make the S1 more accessible, Ola Electric has come up with a finance plan that pegs the EMI amount at Rs 2,999. Image: Ola Electric
To facilitate payment for buyers looking to finance the deal, Ola Electric has teamed up with a total of 11 banks: Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IDFC First Bank, IndusInd Bank, AU Small Finance Bank, Jana Small Finance Bank, Kotak Mahindra Prime, Tata Capital and Yes Bank. Customers who choose to go with finance will be able to purchase an Ola S1 Pro by choosing one of the options available, and EMIs for the S1 will start Rs 2,999 (to be paid over a duration of 48 months), confirmed Varun Dubey, Chief Marketing Officer at Ola Electric, in conversation with Tech2.
EMIs for the Ola S1 Pro, which costs Rs 30,000 more than the S1, will start at Rs 3,199.
Ola Electric will adopt a digital-first approach to sales and service, and will home-deliver the S1 and S1 Pro e-scooters. Potential buyers will soon have the option of scheduling a test ride of the S1 and S1 Pro, details of which will be revealed in the coming weeks, confirmed Dubey.
Ola S1, S1 Pro range and charging details
Range for the Ola S1 is rated at 121 kilometres, and for the Ola S1 Pro, the range is pegged at 181 kilometres. Ola Electric will provide a portable 750 W charger with the S1 and S1 Pro, and the company says fully charging the S1 at home will take about four hours and 48 minutes, while a full charge for the S1 Pro at home will six hours, 30 minutes. Ola is also setting up its ‘Hypercharger’ fast-charging network across India, where users will be able to regain about 75 kilometres of range in just 15 minutes. Ola Electric will have fixed charging stations (including slow- and fast-charging points) in 100 cities across India at the time of the S1 and S1 Pro’s launch, and will eventually cover more than 400 cities.
Ola S1, S1 Pro performance details
Specced with a performance upgrade accessory, the Ola Electric S1 Pro claims to have class-leading acceleration. With a nominal output of 5.5 kW (7.4 hp), peak output of 8.5 kW (11.5 hp) and 58 Nm of torque (at the motor), the Ola S1 Pro will accelerate from 0-40 kph in a claimed three seconds, and from 0-60 kph in five seconds flat. For perspective, the Ather 450X – formerly the quickest-accelerating e-scooter on sale in India – does 0-40 kph in 3.3 seconds and 0-60 kph in 6.5 seconds. The Ola S1 Pro also has a top speed of 115 kph, and three ride modes – Normal, Sport and Hyper.
Prices for the Ola S1 start at Rs 99,999 (including FAME-II subsidy). Image: Ola Electric
The lower-spec Ola S1, on the other hand, also has the same power output as the S1 Pro, but will do 0-40 kph in 3.6 seconds and 0-60 kph in seven seconds, which isn’t exactly slow either. Top speed for the Ola S1 is pegged at 90 kph, and it has two ride modes – Normal and Sport.
Ola S1, S1 Pro features and colour options
The Ola Electric Series S e-scooter has 36 litres of under-seat storage space – almost certainly the largest in its category at present – and can accommodate two half-face helmets. In terms of features, the Ola S1 has a side-stand cut-off function, a 7.0-inch touchscreen, cruise control, hill hold assist, geo-fencing, anti-theft alert, Bluetooth connectivity, GPS and Wi-Fi, four ‘moods’ (that change the way the scooter sounds), a reverse mode, in-built speakers and onboard navigation. Both S1 and S1 Pro have most of these features, with the more affordable S1 missing out only on hill hold, cruise control and voice assistant features. The S1 Pro is available in a total of ten colour options, while the S1 is available in just five – jet black, porcelain white, marshmallow, coral red and neo blue.
