Ola Electric: a car for the electric scooter specialist

Aiming to become the giant of electric scooters in India, Ola Electric surprised everyone with a car prototype, hinting at a future launch?

Electric cars are now the business of all manufacturers and major countries. Some, however, have not yet begun their transition, such as India with its market of 3 million vehicles. This is where an unexpected brand hopes to make inroads.

A Serious Car Project?

To everyone’s surprise, a certain Bhavish Aggarval shared an image of an unknown car on Twitter. This isn’t just anyone—it’s the CEO of Ola Electric, an Indian manufacturer of electric scooters. In his post, he engages with the social network with the question “Can you keep a secret?”. When you have nearly 300,000 followers and post publicly, it’s no longer a secret. Moreover, the day before, he suggested to a Internet user to replace their electric Tata with “the Ola electric car”.

The Ola car in question remains a simple image, with no additional information. It is a prototype of a 5-door city car that could easily be mistaken for an Apple Car or Tesla Model 2 if the logo on it were not Ola’s. 100% electric, lacking a front grille, the vehicle features a unique style. It stands out with a windshield that extends down to the front headlights and unusual side creases. In short, more to follow.

Ola Electric, a future heavyweight in scooters before cars?

India is a country where two-wheelers are king. Scooters and motorcycles sell 5 to 7 times more than cars, amounting to between 15 and 20 million units annually. In this vast market, the majority of sales are still driven by internal combustion engines. However, the electric revolution is making strong inroads into scooters, with numerous models from brands like TVS, Okinawa, Hero Electric, Ampere, Ather, or Bajaj.

Ola Electric initially targeted the mid-range segment. Its first electric scooters Ola S1 were delivered in December 2021. They are powerful, with 11.6 horsepower (8.5 kW), a top speed of 115 km/h, and offer between 121 and 181 km of range with its 3.92 kWh battery. The design is modern, featuring a nice touchscreen and available in multiple colors. Its starting price is 99,999 rupees, or about 1,180 euros, excluding local bonuses.

Of course, this is expensive compared to entry-level electric bikes under 500 euros, but the success is already there. The brand has reached a production rate of 1,000 scooters per day at its Ola Futurefactory plant. This factory aims to be the largest two-wheel plant in the world and is capable of producing 10 million vehicles per year.

Its CEO even declared that Ola will help India transition to 100% electric scooters by 2025. Ambitious, considering that electric sales did not exceed 150,000 units in 2021, representing just 1% of the market!

Also read: Why is electric mobility struggling to convince the French?