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Old 30th August 2021, 00:46   #406
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

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Originally Posted by shortbread View Post
Anyone planning to read the ten thousand odd words of pure gibberish, let me spare you the trouble and time.
Hello sir, I'll agree to disagree with you here. I believe you're being a tad bit too optimistic about the prospect here.

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Originally Posted by shortbread View Post
Well did TVS and Bajaj really want to disrupt the market and ruin a highly profitable status quo?
Automotive firms operating in Indian market are usually extremely conservative when it comes to disrupting the status quo. They usually milk the existing platforms to the max before even thinking about starting anything new. So no, it's not out of their character in this scenario, especially when after 2016, all economic indicators have slowed down.

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It's not a fridge that needs to be plugged in 24/7. Electricity availability is constantly improving in India. Plus scooters have max. penetration in urban centres whereinh
Sir I'm afraid you are looking at his opinion from an extremely urban perspective. Since scooter sales have been propped up by rural demand lately, as opposed to urban sales, it only makes sense to think from a rural or tier 3/4 town perspective. If you are thinking about substantially better electricity penetration, you are not taking into account the actual number of hours a rural household gets uninterrupted electricity.
Now do you expect a customer to schedule and coordinate his daily activities and scooter charging according to the whimsical hours he gets a connection?

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It's a battery and a motor, the simplicity helps with it's reliability. This also means it's easier to service/maintain at the owners premises. Which is precisely what OLA plans to do.
Sir electric vehicles need proprietary service centers to service them. The question is not about simplicity, but accessibility and surety of service. When a big conglomerate like Tata comes up with the Nexon EV, to a certain extent we are assured of the accessibility and surety of service. But a Revolt or Ather? Not so sure. Plus the dedicated training of service personnel in handling electrical systems is nascent at this stage.

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OLAs introductory prices are certainly not on the 'higher side', especially taking into account what it offers.
Sir the question is again not about cost being higher/lower compared to petrol-powered 2wheelers. The parity of (subsidised)price vs the other mental blocks(like service,range) which a potential customer might have, works against its favour I'm afraid.

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Originally Posted by shortbread View Post
Modern batteries are very reliable and don't wither away with time. Also with age IC engines tend to need a lot more TLC.
You are preaching to the choir here sir. Even electric 2wheelers with removable batteries haven't found acceptance yet. The one question an average customer asks to the showroom peeps is "How long will the battery last? What do I do with the scooter when the battery is worn? What about damage to the battery pack? Is it replaceable if it goes bust for some reason?" Does Ola have an answer yet?

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They already have made very big bets and stepping up the competition.
Sir this is all but investor money splurge right now. Anyone familiar with the startup ecosystem knows exactly how sweet the claims are going to sound now. They will not think about profitability in the near future unless some investor cracks the whip. They have been devaluated by investors recently and I'm afraid this may be one of big bang moments they have been waiting for to weather the blow before they go the IPO way.
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Old 30th August 2021, 08:51   #407
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

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Originally Posted by stallmaster View Post
Hero and Bajaj Haven’t Disrupted India’s Electric Two-Wheeler Market. Will Ola Electric Succeed? An elucidative article by Vivek Kaul.

https://www.livemint.com/mint-top-ne...s27082021.html
It is interesting to read, the way he dilutes the statements is great.

But the problem here is the legitness of what the write-up says. Very sad to see reputed news-feed approved this kind of baseless biased self-opinion on a public platform.

There is no problem in expressing what we know, but it should not misinform the public forcing them to choose something else because of one article which says No.
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Old 30th August 2021, 12:11   #408
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

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Very sad to see reputed news-feed approved this kind of baseless biased self-opinion on a public platform.

There is no problem in expressing what we know, but it should not misinform the public forcing them to choose something else because of one article which says No.
That's what irks me, why not ask a subject matter expert - plenty of automotive publications about. Instead this 'random' economist scribbles everything from the FMCG heydays to his man- crush on Don Draper!

Thankfully three quarters of the article is filled with random thoughts, majority of the readers would have switched off by the time it reaches it's conclusion/crux of the matter.
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Old 30th August 2021, 15:38   #409
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

Quote:
Originally Posted by shortbread View Post
Anyone planning to read the ten thousand odd words of pure gibberish, let me spare you the trouble and time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by starke View Post
It is interesting to read, the way he dilutes the statements is great.
I agree with you both that its mostly drivel. This scooter isn't targeting inter city commuters. It may not even immediately target daily users who clock 100 kms + (although I think with its range it can).

It is targeted at anyone in a metro or B city (for starters) who can afford a premium 125 cc segment scooter - not at "every" scooter owner. This is the high end of the market. So a plumber or carpenter may or may not choose it but many middle class families can and could.

For most typical usage, it may only require charging once in 3 - 4 days or even once a week. Most cities with power cuts can also muster that kind of charging facility. People in B cities also live in small "own homes" than metros where apartment complexes are more prevalent. They will find some way to charge it as apartments start enabling such infra. As will the typical trader / shop owner. I don't see power cuts as an absolute impediment to this segment. Believe me, in time people see EVs as liberating. My pal in Bangalore who's been using an Ather and Rewa for several years now says its so refreshing because he never has to factor a petrol pump visit. Just gets charged at home.

To my mind, there is a huge potential market in that segment alone. Once that kick starts adoption the market will continue to evolve and find depth in other user segments. It is already there in some form. For instance dexpress.co.in already catering to budget delivery requirements with a 25 kmph speed limit.

Last edited by Axe77 : 30th August 2021 at 15:40.
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Old 30th August 2021, 16:06   #410
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

All said and done I am curious to see actual sale numbers for this. How many bookings translate to people paying upfront. is this a soda bottle effect where first quarter will be great and then all downhill.

Ola isnt a car company and this is a gen 1 product. We talk about not buying Tata / Mahindra gen 1 because of niggles etc and this is an all new company in the industry itself. I see uptake a while away and the only reason Ola did this pivot was because they didnt see cab hailing making profit anytime soon.

To put the above point in perspective, an article from March this year (most recent I could find) says Ola valuation has been trimmed to $3 bn which is over half cut from pre covid. I can bet that all this hype is to simply launch the scooter, show good first q sales and then quickly announce an IPO. Sales being the key word, not profit.No ones gonna invest in Ola cab hailing and existing investors needs an exit. The auto business is brutal and there is a reason Bajaj / Hero / TVS are undeterred by any of this happening, they read between the lines.
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Old 31st August 2021, 21:58   #411
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

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Originally Posted by AZT View Post
All said and done I am curious to see actual sale numbers for this. How many bookings translate to people paying upfront. is this a soda bottle effect where first quarter will be great and then all downhill.

Ola isnt a car company and this is a gen 1 product. We talk about not buying Tata / Mahindra gen 1 because of niggles etc and this is an all new company in the industry itself. I see uptake a while away and the only reason Ola did this pivot was because they didnt see cab hailing making profit anytime soon.

To put the above point in perspective, an article from March this year (most recent I could find) says Ola valuation has been trimmed to $3 bn which is over half cut from pre covid. I can bet that all this hype is to simply launch the scooter, show good first q sales and then quickly announce an IPO. Sales being the key word, not profit.No ones gonna invest in Ola cab hailing and existing investors needs an exit. The auto business is brutal and there is a reason Bajaj / Hero / TVS are undeterred by any of this happening, they read between the lines.

Rightly said. Looks an interesting scenario looking at the number of bookings made initially and how much actually translates into the physical sale at the time of launch. I too have booked the vehicle and eagerly waiting for the same. I don't mind being one of the initial test case for the vehicle as I am sure that the service back up and the other related issues would be addressed with utmost priority as any adverse feedback would be detrimental to the further sale of the vehicles and erode the brand image.

The only thing that concerns me is the cost of the battery pack at the end of the 3 year warranty period is a whopping INR 60000 !! If that being the case, its hardly any practical to go in for a electric vehicle if its of a limited usage . Buying a regular ICE model greatly suits and suffices all the needs of majority of the mass market sans the silence, zippy, torquey feel good factor of the machine.

That being the case , I'll wait for more clarity on the cost of the battery replacement after the warranty period from OLA in the due course of time before jumping the gun.
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Old 31st August 2021, 22:14   #412
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

Quote:
Originally Posted by AZT View Post

Ola did this pivot was because they didnt see cab hailing making profit anytime soon.

To put the above point in perspective, an article from March this year (most recent I could find) says Ola valuation has been trimmed to $3 bn which is over half cut from pre covid. I can bet that all this hype is to simply launch the scooter, show good first q sales and then quickly announce an IPO. Sales being the key word, not profit.No ones gonna invest in Ola cab hailing and existing investors needs an exit. The auto business is brutal and there is a reason Bajaj / Hero / TVS are undeterred by any of this happening, they read between the lines.
ANI Technologies - the parent company of ola cabs, Ola electric technologies limited and Ola electric mobility private limited are three very distinct companies with very different investors. So announcing sales of the scooter, and filing for an IPO(of the cab company) would be completely unrelated. Existing investors of the cab company looking for an exit aren't really going to see any benefit from scooter sales.

Unless I've got your post wrong!

Last edited by binz : 31st August 2021 at 22:15.
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Old 1st September 2021, 16:20   #413
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

Do we have regenerative braking feature in the Ola S1/ S1Pro ?
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Old 5th September 2021, 13:57   #414
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

Ola is supposed to initiate the payment option on bookings from 8th Sep 2021. Cant decide on wait and watch or pay and experience approach.

I had booked 2 scooters initially. Cancelled one booking. Facing issues with the refund. Ola support did call back saying they are working on resolving the issue. Hopefully, it will be sorted out soon.

I am continuing the booking on the S1 pro. The projected range is really my interest.
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Old 5th September 2021, 14:46   #415
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

Did you receive any communication from them regarding payment option, delivery period etc.??

Why I am asking this question is that I too have booked one (not given any option for colour or variant) on 16th July and immediately I got an SMS confirming the booking but thereafter no communication at all from them.
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Old 5th September 2021, 15:28   #416
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

After the high profile launch, things are looking a little stagnant now with respect to communication from Ola.

Already booked a S1 Pro, Ola's website say that you can complete the payment from Sept 8th but deliveries and test drive from October. Out of sequence in my opinion.

But without seeing/test riding the scooter, I am not going to complete the purchase.

The least I am expecting is a communication regarding media drives, location of experience centres, for touch and feel.

I hope most of us are in the same mindset
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Old 5th September 2021, 20:02   #417
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

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Originally Posted by pradeepkm View Post
Do we have regenerative braking feature in the Ola S1/ S1Pro ?
I didn't find it anywhere on the website, in the spec sheet, in the presentation or in the Ads. However, from Etergo website i found the following specs.
Quote:
Max Discharge Power: 3kW per Module
Max Charge Power: 600 W per Module
Max Regen. Power: 1250 W per module
It's an elementary thing in an EV and I'd be shocked if that is not present.

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Originally Posted by Sivacar View Post
After the high profile launch, things are looking a little stagnant now with respect to communication from Ola.

Already booked a S1 Pro, Ola's website say that you can complete the payment from Sept 8th but deliveries and test drive from October. Out of sequence in my opinion.

But without seeing/test riding the scooter, I am not going to complete the purchase.

The least I am expecting is a communication regarding media drives, location of experience centres, for touch and feel.

I hope most of us are in the same mindset
Agreed... I've reserved one for my dad. But without test ride, I'm not making the full payment.
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Old 5th September 2021, 20:09   #418
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

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Already booked a S1 Pro
How did you do that? I also paid Rs 500 as advance but there was no choice given. Do we have to indicate on their website?
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Old 5th September 2021, 20:22   #419
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

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How did you do that? I also paid Rs 500 as advance but there was no choice given. Do we have to indicate on their website?
In the Ola website. There is option to "sign in" either with your mobile number or email id. In that section you can freeze your model and colour. Location top right hand side.
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Old 5th September 2021, 20:52   #420
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Re: Ola's made-in-India Electric scooter, now launched at Rs. 99,999

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Originally Posted by Sivacar View Post
In the Ola website. There is option to "sign in" either with your mobile number or email id. In that section you can freeze your model and colour. Location top right hand side.
Tried, but clicking the sign-in does nothing and for some strange reason, even the link to "reserve it" not working.
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