Bengaluru, October 17, 2023: Ola Electric, India’s largest electric vehicle company, announced Ola Bharat EV Fest, a nationwide celebration of embracing EVs starting October 16th. As the country gears up for the festivities, Ola is hosting India’s largest 2W EV Exchange programme, along with an array of exciting offers, including lucrative discounts, battery assurance schemes, and many more.

As part of Ola’s Bharath EV fest, buyers can enjoy benefits of up to ₹24,500 on the purchase of an Ola electric scooter, including a 5-Year Battery Warranty (worth up to ₹7,000*), exchange bonuses (up to ₹10,000*), and attractive financing schemes with no cost EMI (up to ₹7,500* discount from partner banks). Making it the best time to switch to an EV, customers test-riding an Ola scooter during the festive period can get a chance to win one S1X+ every day among other exciting prizes.

Anshul Khandelwal, Chief Marketing Officer, Ola Electric, said, “We are incredibly excited to kick-start Bharat EV Fest as we collectively prepare for the festivities. With a commitment to #EndICEAge in the 2W segment, we have curated a one-of-a-kind celebration of electric vehicles. This Diwali, Bharat EV Fest is the perfect opportunity for our customers to switch to an EV. We encourage everyone to visit our experience centres and test ride our high-performance scooters.”

5-Year Battery Promise
Enhancing the confidence of its customers, Ola has introduced a “5-Year Battery Promise” programme. The company is offering a free 5-year extended battery warranty on its flagship product S1 Pro (2nd Generation) and 50% off on the S1 Air.

Exchange Programme
Keeping up with the spirit of festivities, Ola is hosting the biggest ICE-to-EV exchange programme across its ~1000 Experience Centres. Customers can now exchange their old ICE 2W and get an exchange bonus of up to INR 10,000 on purchase of Ola scooter.

Lucky-Boot Offers
Ola has also announced a multitude of exciting offers for its customers. Customers can test-ride an Ola scooter at any of the Experience Centre and get a chance to win an S1X+ every day, free merchandise, and other exciting prizes, including discount coupons for Ola Care+ and instant discounts on the all new S1 Pro (2nd Generation).

Finance Offers
In addition to a slew of offers, buyers can also get discounts up to INR 7,500 on select credit card EMIs. Customers can now take home an Ola scooter at zero down payment and zero-processing fee with interest rates as low as 5.99%.

Referral Scheme
Valid till October 24, Ola will reward its community members on referring an Ola scooter to their friends and family. The referer gets benefits like free Ola Care+ and cashback of upto INR 2000 per referral. Under this new scheme, the referees will also receive a cashback of ₹1,000 upon a successful purchase.

Priced at INR 1,47,499, S1 Pro (2nd Generation) deliveries commenced in more than 100 cities last week while the S1 Air is available at ₹1,19,999. Ola Electric has additionally introduced its ICE-killer product, the S1X in three variants – S1 X+, S1 X (2kWh), and S1 X (3kWh) – to cater to the requirements of riders with diverse preferences. The S1 X+ is available for purchase now at an introductory price of INR ₹1,09,999. The pre-reservation window for the S1 X (3kWh) and S1 X (2kWh) is now open at INR 999 only. S1 X (3kWh) and S1 X (2kWh) scooters are available at an introductory price of INR 99,999 and INR 89,999, respectively.

The post Ola announces Bharat EV Fest, rolls out exciting offers for the festive season first appeared on Turbocharged.

The Ola S1 Pro has been the highest selling premium electric scooter thanks to its heady performance, impressive range and a plethora of first-in-class features. The more accessible S1 Air looks promising on paper, but does it manage to retain the premium essence of its larger sibling? 

The S1 Air sits on Ola’s Gen 2 platform which is lighter and more importantly, gets a flatter floorboard. It gets a clever two-tone paint finish which essentially is only the top part of the plastic bodywork being painted. The boot space is now 34 litres and has the same nice rectangular shape. It gets steel wheels instead of alloys and a larger grab rail. The signature LED headlamp and all-LED lighting have been retained. 

The colour TFT touchscreen instrument console is shared with the S1 Pro but features a lower resolution. Interestingly, the S1 Air gets the S1 Pro’s party tricks like digital key sharing, screen moods, party mode and even music playback. 

The Ola S1 Air gets a smaller 4.5kW (8.16PS) hub-mounted electric motor. 0-40kmph comes in a claimed 3.3 seconds while the top speed is a claimed 90kmph. The performance is strong from the get-go but has a linear delivery as revs rise. It’s quite enjoyable in the city and quick too. It misses out on the Hyper mode though, but gets Eco, Normal and Sport mode. 

The battery pack has shrunk to 2.98kWh. It sits in a new, well-packaged and lighter casing and offers an impressive claimed range of 125km. Given past experience with the S1 Pro, we expect 100km of range in Normal mode. It takes five hours for a full charge. 

The new Gen 2 platform claims to be lighter and stiffer and the S1 Air gets conventional telescopic forks and dual shock absorbers. The suspension has been well-tuned for city riding and delivers exceptional ride quality. It handles well too, the narrow tyres offering good grip. It gets drum brakes on both ends and while braking feels adequate and surefooted, we hope Ola offers an optional disc brake. 

At Rs 1.20 lakh ex-showroom the S1 Air is among the most affordable premium electric scooters and will certainly help Ola expand its customer base. It offers a premium feel, while performance and range are adequate too. It is priced even closer to petrol powered scooters like the Honda Activa 125 and Suzuki Access, which should make the ICE versus EV wars even more interesting! 

The post Ola S1 Air: First Ride Review first appeared on Turbocharged.