Ola Electric scooter amasses over 1 lakh bookings within 24 hours of order books opening- Technology News, Firstpost

tech2 News StaffJul 17, 2021 13:59:29 IST

Ola Electric has announced it received over one lakh bookings for its upcoming electric scooter – rumoured to be named the Ola Series S – within 24 hours of opening order books. Reservations for the Ola electric scooter were thrown open on 15 July, with the fully refundable reservation amount fixed at Rs 499. The low booking amount meant scores of prospective buyers logged onto the Ola Electric website to reserve the scooter, briefly clogging the company’s online booking portal and rendering many unable to book the scooter.

Also read: How to book the Ola Electric scooter online – Follow these six steps

Ola Electric scooter specifications, variants, charging: What we know so far

The Ola electric scooter is expected to be available in three versions – the Ola Series S, Ola S1 and the range-topping Ola S1 Pro. Colour options are expected to include matte black, matte pink, matte sky blue and more. Buyers will be given the provision to choose the colour and variant of their Ola e-scooter at a later stage. Ola Electric has also revealed the scooter can be charged using a standard 5A socket, or at one of its ‘Hypercharger’ charging stations, which is going live in over 100 cities at this time and will eventually cover over 400 cities.

Ola Electric has previously said its electric scooter will have class-leading acceleration. It’s unclear at this time which scooters Ola considers to be its rivals, but for perspective, the Ather 450X – which is currently 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 lower-spec Ather 450 Plus, on the other hand, can do 0-40 kph in 3.9 seconds and 0-60 kph in 8.29 seconds.

The Ola electric scooter also claims to have the largest under-seat storage in its category, with the ability to accommodate two half-face helmets. Certified range for the Ola electric scooter is expected to be above 100 kilometres.

The Ola electric scooter can store two half-face helmets in its under-seat storage bay. Image: Ola Electric

The Ola electric scooter runs on 12-inch black alloy wheels. Its design steers clear of dramatic flourishes or complex surfacing, retaining a clean, straightforward appearance. The twin-LED headlight is ensconced by a DRL ring, and the apron incorporates slim turn indicators. Ola’s electric scooter has a single-sided telescopic front suspension and horizontally mounted rear shock absorber, as well as slotted front and rear disc brakes. The pillion foot pegs fold flush into the scooter’s bodywork, and at the back, the Ola electric scooter gets a chunky pillion grab handle and a clear-lens tail-light.

While Ola hasn’t shared more details at this point, its electric scooter is likely to have a 7.0-inch TFT colour display running an Android operating system and featuring in-built navigation, onboard diagnostics and other infotainment functions.

Launch of Ola’s electric scooter is understood to be just around the corner. Image: Ola Electric

Ola Electric future plans

Ola Electric commenced construction of its mega EV manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu in February. The plant – Phase 1 of which is nearly complete – is billed the world’s largest two-wheeler production facility, spread out over a total of 500 acres of land. Ola Electric says it will have a total of 3,000 AI-powered robots in the facility.

As of July, Ola’s facility has an annual production capacity of two million vehicles, and that number will rise to ten million vehicles by 2022. At that point, Ola Electric estimates it will be producing a new two-wheeler every two seconds from ten production lines. Eventually, Ola Electric aims to produce electric four-wheelers as well, and will also export its products to other markets.