[udaikalra01]

Mod Note: Our Ola S1 Electric Scooter Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

Ola electric scooter first official images released. Looks really classy, imo.
Source

[udaikalra01]

Ola Electric has started building a mega factory in Tamil Nadu. Spread across 500 acres, the fully-automated factory has the capacity to build 10 million electric two-wheelers by June 2022.
A 90 percent automated facility, the core technology and engineering will be controlled by Ola. The company will also be designing, engineering, and manufacturing its own battery pack, vehicle computers, and the software components that would be going into the factory. Calling it an automotive technology company, Bhavish said Ola Electric will be fully automated.
“We have tight schedules and timelines, considering we want to start with two million units from June this year,” says Bhavish.

Source
2 Million units production capacity from Phase-1. 10 million unit production capacity facility ready by June 2022. The speed at which they are progressing is crazy. And look at the numbers!! They are building a 10-million unit facility! That's 15% of the world's total yearly 2-wheeler sales. Very, very aspirational indeed. I really wish they succeed.
+They even have a vertical strip of forest IN the factory!

[sri_tesla]

The timelines are a bit overly optimistic. In 4 months, they expect to complete the building and have a production capacity of 2 million units?

I am glad that they are going big. That is the only way to bring down the prices of electric vehicles. They said they are sourcing battery cells from South Korea. I wonder if it's LG or SK innovation. Hyundai and Kia have an agreement with SK innovation for Ioniq branded electric cars. Hyundai and Kia have invested in Ola Electric as well.

Ola said the scooter will have 2 battery packs. Based on Etergo Appscooter specs each module will have 1.15 kWh, so it's 2.3 kWh per scooter. Assuming some buffer the scooter will have ~2.5 kWh capacity. At 2.5 kWh per scooter, they will need to source 5 GWh battery cells per year to make 2 million scooters annually and 25 GWh capacity for 10 million scooters.

For comparison, 5 GWh will be enough for ~1.5 lakh Nexon EVs or 50,000 Tesla Model S vehicles.

Some media reports mentioned that each battery pack will weigh 10.5 to 11 kgs while Etergo appscooter website says each pack weighs 7.5kgs. I wonder if Ola is going with 2 bigger battery packs instead of 3 smaller ones.

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

Some media reports mentioned that each battery pack will weigh 10.5 to 11 kgs while Etergo appscooter website says each pack weighs 7.5kgs. I wonder if Ola is going with 2 bigger battery packs instead of 3 smaller ones.

If they have indeed gone for a 2-battery solution, that's a good move I feel. instead of 3 packs of 80Kms range, 2 packs of 120kms range is good. Since this range is only ate test conditions at 20kmph speed, One pack may give 80kms in real world conditions which is above the average usage of one person per day. with 3 packs, individual packs would give 50kms range which is below the average person's usage.

[udaikalra01]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

The timelines are a bit overly optimistic. In 4 months, they expect to complete the building and have a production capacity of 2 million units?

True. Manufacturing facilities usually take an year or so to start operations. And the land is still under excavation.

What's interesting is that the CEO Bhavish Aggarwal says that they will also build separate plants for motorcycles and four wheelers. He said this in an interview:

Urban mobility vehicles like two, three and four wheelers, hatchbacks, small and mid-sized sedans –that’s the meat of the market. It’s a unique opportunity for us and we are starting with the quintessential Indian urban mobility product - scooters within the two-wheeler segment, but we have programs in motion for motorbikes, four-wheelers

Interesting times ahead.

[srini1785]

Somehow this design



reminds me of this :



But then again, for a 240Km range, i would gladly sit on a donkey.

[sri_tesla]

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

If they have indeed gone for a 2-battery solution, that's a good move I feel. instead of 3 packs of 80Kms range, 2 packs of 120kms range is good. Since this range is only ate test conditions at 20kmph speed, One pack may give 80kms in real world conditions which is above the average usage of one person per day. with 3 packs, individual packs would give 50kms range which is below the average person's usage.

Earlier reports mentioned that the Ola scooter will have a range of 100 km. I think they may go for ~3+ kWh capacity in 2 packs. Unlike Etergo, they may not advertise 240 km range at 20kmph speeds. They will advertise real world range of 100 km just like the competition in India (Ather, Chetak, iQube, etc...).

[srishiva]

Good start I think. The scooter seems like it has less knee room in the front and the driver will have to sit a little behind on the seat. Not sure if ladies can sit side-on comfortably on this.
Will be really good if it can help small trips not far from home or office with 1 return trip.

[RavSam]

Originally Posted by srini1785

Somehow this design
reminds me of this :

It reminded of his girlfriend Eve though!

It's good that they moved the turn indicators to the lower position than on the handlebars like the one on Etergo. I just love the wheel design!

I am a little worried about the front mud-guard which looks too close to the wheel.

Although I do not find this weird, the front apron of the electric scooters and the way the wheel fills-up (or the lack of it) is what makes the electric scooters look unconventional. The Bajaj Chetak and TVS iQube (leaving aside some bits like rear hub motor and boxy RVMs) still look like ICE scooters which I like.

[slamnos]

This is the need of the hour. An electric scooter.

Look around in any busy city of our country, common sight is people in their scooters busy going about their business.

2 wheelers, especially scooters / mopeds are crucial for most small time business'

And the common crib is rising fuel prices. With electric this would be the biggest solution for the masses.

Given that scooters are mostly concentrated within cities / towns, range is not really a big deterrent. It is more of a perception than reality.

Soon scooter-i-zation will shift towards electric and motorcycles will remain mainstream with petrol (as motorcycles are more spread out in smaller towns and villages & also service as inter town transport)

Great to see an Indian Brand going mainstream with electric. This move will certainly pin up Ola in the world EV map.

Certainly better times ahead for Indian motor Industry.

[rajshenoy]

So far so good Ola !!

Design looks simple and practical. I was also impressed by the 50L boot which can swallow grocery bags with ease. I guess if they can live up to that 200+km claim and sub 1L pricetag, days of fossil fuel powered scooters is numbered.

According to me, Indian EV boom will depend on scooters and compact premium SUVs (Nexon size)

[sri_tesla]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

I guess if they can live up to that 200+km claim and sub 1L price tag, days of fossil fuel-powered scooters is numbered.

The 200 km range is not accurate. It was claimed by Etergo at 20 kmph constant speed.

It's not technically feasible to develop scooters with 200+km with such a slim profile. 200+ km real-world range will need at least 6 kWh battery capacity and that will take a lot of space and weight.

I believe there is no need for a 200 km of range to be successful. All they need to do is a similar range to Ather 450x or Chetak, which is ~85 km and hit the 1L price tag.

If they were really expecting to sell 2 million units per year, they will need to very very aggressive with pricing.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

It's not technically feasible to develop scooters with 200+km with such a slim profile. 200+ km real-world range will need at least 6 kWh battery capacity and that will take a lot of space and weight.

I believe there is no need for a 200 km of range to be successful. All they need to do is a similar range to Ather 450x or Chetak, which is ~85 km and hit the 1L price tag.

If they were really expecting to sell 2 million units per year, they will need to very very aggressive with pricing.

Yeah, I agree on that. However we also have removable battery pack on etergo. So it would be great if they start realistic range of 80-100 km(with 40kmph) and offer battery swap (or more powerful pack) eventually as an upgrade after few years to increase the range. that would be icing on the cake.

[fordday]

I find the design language of the Ola scooter smashing. It exudes thinking and class.

There are no edges or pointed corners in the body. Below is a face to face picture with Ather for comparison.

Right side of both wheels are all clean with single shocks and single swing arm.

Rear foot rest is flush with the body.

Because of the rounded design, rider can place his foot in varying angles depending on his comfort and his seating position. This is necessary if you are tall and you sit a little into the middle of the seat.

Disclaimer: All images are from website and copyright with their respective orgs.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

I believe there is no need for a 200 km of range to be successful. All they need to do is a similar range to Ather 450x or Chetak, which is ~85 km and hit the 1L price tag.

+1. 95% of their target audience wouldn't mind a 85km useable range! Scooters are best for short intercity commutes.

More so important for OLA since they are going for huge volumes, unlike Ather and Chetak. This scooter will be designed for the masses and with costs in mind.