[sri_tesla]

Ola has unveiled its new low-price scooter, S1 Air with substantial design changes to the S1. While the official launch event is tomorrow, Ola invited S1 customers to their factory or nearby experience centers to showcase the new product 1 day ahead.



Specs:
4.5 KW hub motor,
2.5 kWh battery,
100 km IDC range in eco mode,
0-40 kmph in 4.3secs,
7-inch touchscreen
Move OS 3 (companion app, multiple profiles, music, navigation, vacation mode, multiple moods, etc...)

Major design changes (Vs S1 or Etergo):
Flat footboard,
Hub motor,
Rear swing arm,
Front telescopic suspension,
Rear dual suspension in place of horizontal mono suspension,
Redesigned grab rail,
Dual-tone colors.
Much lesser weight (99kg).

While the price is not officially revealed, it was leaked through the official website savings calculator. It will be priced at Rs 79,999 as per the leak. The purchase window opens in February 2023 and deliveries are expected to start in April 2023.


S1 Air:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9u7tgKByFU

Youtube video link from one of the experience center's event:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rwM7ht3yMQ

[Pigcee]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

Ola has unveiled its new low-price scooter, S1 Air with substantial design changes to the S1. While the official launch event is tomorrow, Ola invited S1 customers to their factory or nearby experience centers to showcase the new product 1 day ahead.

This addresses almost all flaws and weak points of the S1 and should help a lot of people transition into EV's.

[Benoit]

With the vehicle fire cases and the lack of proper customer support and the arrogant CEO, the public perception isn't so great with Ola. May be, they wanted to capture the audience attention by launching an affordable bike. Let's wait and see the acceptance of this bike.

[sri_tesla]

Ola S1 Air's Official images and specs are leaked through social media. The price will be Rs 84,999 with an introductory price of Rs 79,999.

Ola S1 Air price:


Flat footboard:


Dual tone:


Boot space:


Redesigned grab handle:


Front telescopic suspension: No disc brake.


Side view:


Hub motor and redesigned swingarm:


Dashboard specs: Same as S1 and S1 Pro.


Specs and pricing:



Source:
https://twitter.com/maroofone/status...33273997004805

[MartinVirage]

To me seems to be a much better package.

1) Lesser stylish traditional suspension easier to maintain
2) Cheaper wheels - Don't look bad though
3) In most user cases an 80KM Range is good enough for daily use
4) Mainly, in the range of the Activas and Jupiters of the world pricewise
5) Only useful gimmicks, unlike other S1 cousins

Only challenge for OLA - Provide a good customer care and after sales service now.

[aim120]

Real world range should be around 65km to 75km.. Stil good enough for majority of the use case. I guess the lower capacity battery pack meant that they could remove one or more rows of the battery cells in parallel connection to eliminate the floor hump.

I guess this will compete against the Tvs iQube and will have similar range as the older (discontinued) iQube which had a 2.25kwh battery pack and lower top speed 78km/hr.

Ola advantage is 0.25kwh more battery capacity and 12km/hr more top speed. Also has higher storage area.

But the newer iQube has 0.25kwh advantage over the ola S1 air.

[Abhisheknott]

Good to see the new suspension set up. Bodes well that the company is keen on rectifying issues based on market feed back.

[deepjaju]

Just booked one. I hope it is decent. Main requirement is for my staff use.
If anyone has any other suggestions please do let me know. Besides, the amount is refundable and the production is expected to start Feb 2023 and delivery starts April 2023.

[Electromotive]

A hub motor? Seriously!?
While rest of the changes are welcome; replacing the belt drive power-train with a hub motor is a deal breaker. Kills all the fun if the torque is not there.

Also, who are their target customers - people looking for a shiny garage ornament? That low range means this is not even suitable for office or college commutes (primary user segment). Might as well get an ICE scooter, at least the range won't decrease over time.

OLA Electric should have dropped the touchscreen tablet and kept the power train. No need for bolting on an abomination of an android tablet with half baked software just to push features no one really needed or asked for.

I pronounce this DoA.

Addendum: No, 70-80Km range is not good enough even for regular office commutes unless you can charge at your office. And I am doubtful even 70-80Km range will be possible on the Air given how inefficient hub motors are in general and more so while accelerating.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by Electromotive

A hub motor? Seriously!?
While rest of the changes are welcome; replacing the belt drive power-train with a hub motor is a deal breaker. Kills all the fun if the torque is not there.

Also, who are their target customers - people looking for a shiny garage ornament? That low range means this is not even suitable for office or college commutes (primary user segment). Might as well get an ICE scooter, at least the range won't decrease over time.

OLA Electric should have dropped the touchscreen tablet and kept the power train. No need for bolting on an abomination of an android tablet with half baked software just to push features no one really needed or asked for.

I pronounce this DoA.

Hub motors being a outrunner motor means its native torque will be much higher, sure it won't be as fast as its expensive siblings because the motor kw is less 4.5kw peak vs the 8kw peak for the pro model.

Remember in china you get hub motors with even 12kw of power, that is much faster then the s1 pro.

As far as the range, it depends on where your work place is and one can always charge it at work place. I wouldn't be surprised if colleges start providing 5A sockets in the future for charging.
This new model only draws 500watt of power which even a 0.5sq mm wire can handle with even el cheap wiring found in most commercial places for lighting circuit.

Also even a analog meter with a small mono lcd found in activa costs 3k. A phone with similar specs as ola won't cost more then 5k, so at best one would have saved 2k to 3k.

Because its has atleast 14 cells in series, the next jump in price and kwh will be 10k increase in price and 0.2kwh conservatively.
This model will be a hit not a failure, unless some gremlins are found.

[Electromotive]

Originally Posted by aim120

Hub motors being a outrunner motor means its native torque will be much higher, sure it won't be as fast as its expensive siblings because the motor kw is less 4.5kw peak vs the 8kw peak for the pro model.

For the same volume, yes, but out-runners perform worse the more load you put on them. So, poor acceleration and efficiency - both kinda important when it comes to EVs.

As far as the range, it depends on where your work place is and one can always charge it at work place. I wouldn't be surprised if colleges start providing 5A sockets in the future for charging.
This new model only draws 500watt of power which even a 0.5sq mm wire can handle with even el cheap wiring found in most commercial places for lighting circuit.

I can't truly comment on the range without user reviews but, as I said before, hub motors and efficiency/range don't go hand in hand. The issue with charging is not just logistical or amperage but also monetization. I don't think free power sockets are happening anytime soon.

Also even a analog meter with a small mono lcd found in activa costs 3k. A phone with similar specs as ola won't cost more then 5k, so at best one would have saved 2k to 3k.

Not sure where you are getting those numbers from. It seems like you are comparing retail prices.

This model will be a hit not a failure, unless some gremlins are found.

Why would anyone pay ICE scooter prices to buy a depreciating asset that performs at par or worse than the tried and tested ICE scooters? The only people buying EVs presently are either enthusiasts or those looking for a cheap to run vehicle (delivery/logistics guys) and OLA had made a faux-pah trying to go mass market with a terribly watered down product that costs the same as an ICE scooter - it therefore appeals to neither the enthusiast nor the delivery guy. The entire point of a lower priced product is to appeal to the masses and they didn't go lower than ICE scooter prices while watering down the USPs of an EV. Still seems like a DoA to me, but I will let the markets decide.

[sri_tesla]

Originally Posted by Electromotive

A hub motor? Seriously!?
While rest of the changes are welcome; replacing the belt drive power-train with a hub motor is a deal breaker. Kills all the fun if the torque is not there.

I own a TVS iQube with a 4.4 KW hub motor and it's quicker and faster than most popular ICE scooters like Activa, Jupiter, etc... It's also faster and quicker than Chetak electric which has a mid-drive motor with similar peak power. iQube's top speed is almost the same as Ather 450X although acceleration is lesser. Every month 4 to 5 lakh ICE scooters are being sold in India which can easily be replaced with an EV scooter like TVS iQube which has better performance and much cheaper running costs. Its 100 km range will be enough for 90% of those customers. While TVS claims a 100 km range in eco mode and a 75km range in power mode, I am consistently getting a 100 km range in power mode with my normal riding which is similar to an ICE scooter. The only problem is that the TVS iQube price (Rs 1.3 lakhs) is around Rs 50,000 higher than Activas and Jupiters.

I pronounce this DoA.

Addendum: No, 70-80Km range is not good enough even for regular office commutes unless you can charge at your office. And I am doubtful even 70-80Km range will be possible on the Air given how inefficient hub motors are in general and more so while accelerating.

It's very premature to announce the demise of S1 Air in my opinion. At the very least it will eat into most of the Chinese imports from the likes of Hero Electric, Okinawa, and Ampere. These 3 companies are selling around 30,000 electric scooters per month in similar price ranges (Rs 75K to 90K) but with very inferior specs as shown below.

Okinawa Praise Pro: Rs 87,593 (ex-showroom)
2.7 KW peak power hub motor,
2 kWh battery,
50 kmph top speed

Ampere Magnus EX: Rs 77,249
2.1 KW peak power hub motor,
2.3 kWh battery,
50 kmph top speed.

Hero Electric Optima CX: Rs 85,190
1.2 KW peak power hub motor,
3 kWh battery,
45 kmph top speed.

None of these models are known for superior performance or great build quality or reliability. The major selling point for these scooters is that their starting price is similar to ICE scooters and the running costs are extremely low. Compared to these scooters, Ola S1 Air has a much more powerful motor, bigger battery, range, and higher top speed. Except for those who travel more than 60 km on a daily basis and frequent longer rides, S1 Air can be a proper replacement for Activas and Jupiters at a similar price with much cheaper running costs. The average daily distance traveled by 2-wheelers in Indian cities is around 30 km. So, charging once every 2 days is enough for S1 Air. The S1 variant with a 100 km range for a slightly higher price (Rs 1 lakh) can serve those who have range concerns.

One major caveat is Ola's reliability. S1 has been released prematurely into the market without rigorous testing. While some of the major quality issues with S1 like suspension, grab rail integration, etc... seems to have been addressed in S1 Air, it remains to be proven in the real world. Also the duration between product launch and actual deliveries is very high (6 months in this case).

[Electromotive]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

I own a TVS iQube ,,,

And in what numbers has the iQube sold? How do you explain the abysmal demand for these EVs?

The issue, as I see it, is that of consumer psychology. If you want the transition to EVs to happen, you have to provide a much better product at similar or a slightly higher price as the product you are trying to replace. The value proposition has to be compelling. A 'meh' electric scooter just doesn't sell. Also see my previous post regarding the appeal of the OLA Air. It basically has no appeal and therefore the masses aren't going to go out of their way to get an EV (unless fuel prices go through the roof.)

It's very premature to announce the demise of S1 Air in my opinion. At the very least it will eat into most of the Chinese imports from the likes of Hero Electric, Okinawa, and Ampere. These 3 companies are selling around 30,000 electric scooters per month in similar price ranges (Rs 75K to 90K) but with very inferior specs as shown below.

That might be a possibility but OLA's management is under too much pressure (esp. with the tightening liquidity in capital markets) to be content with those numbers. They need a jaw dropper not another 'also ran'.

[aim120]

The same thing was said for Tiago EV, who will buy it by the people who travel long distances.

The thing is just like Tiago EV is bought by city users for various reasons. The ola S1 air will find buyers because its cheap to buy. On road cost of a Activa 6g, is similar and I am not even sure if it can handle E20 fuel.

Not all travel 60km one way for work or college, that too in a two wheeler.

Yes the price of speedometer for activa is 3k retail but so is a phone price of 5k which is retail.

[Electromotive]

Originally Posted by aim120

Not all travel 60km one way for work or college, that too in a two wheeler.

Why would it be 60Km one way? The range of the vehicle is being considered for home and back (roundtrip), so your range is basically 35 to 40 Km. Why else do you think I mentioned the need to charge at office.

Given 1. the lack of charging infra,
2. the stop and go traffic one has to deal with and
3. the loss of range over time (not always the case due to buffers but quite reasonable to assume on a built-to-cost product) the range on the OLA Air is cause for concern.