Ola S1 Pro Review

Many of you already know that I have purchased Ola S1 Pro and I was in the first few to get the delivery in Pune.

Quite a few folks have asked my experience. This review might be useful for those who are planning to buy it:

Reservation and online payments:

1. I reserved scooter online using Ola app and paying RS 500 on 17 July 2021.
2. The window for next payment was supposed to be open on 1 Sept 2021 but it got delayed and I could make the payment of 20000 on 15th Sept 2021. Ola IT infrastructure was not ready, and company did send an apology email for the delay.
3. Balance amount payment window was available on 12th November 2021, and I made a online payment of 89872.
4. In total (including everything) I paid 110372 for the top version – S1 Pro.

Documentation and Delivery

1.  The documentation window opened by 6th Jan 2022, and I had to send an email with Address Proof (light bill), PAN card. There was back and forth and had to share the documents twice (by email and then on WhatsApp). The ola App its should have a provision of uploading the documents instead of asking an email.
2. I got couple of calls for the registration and provided the OTP details. The RTO registration was done on the same day. It was quite seamless.
3. I got vehicle delivered on 8th Jan 2022. It took 5 months and 22 days from reservation to delivery.
4. The team delivered the vehicle at doorstep and made it a cheerful event by clicking photos and recording review.
5. I got 2 good quality helmets (size is small thought), Fancy cover and a battery charger along with vehicle.

The vehicle itself

1. Performance – I will rate 5/5 on performance. It has supper power and acceleration. In hyper mode it almost flies. 2 people can easily ride for long distance. The milage you get in 100% charge is around 120-125 KMs.
2. Charging – It takes 5.30 to 6 hours for 100% charge, and you just need a 5 AM plug (normal charging point)
3. Design – I will rate 4/5 on design. It looks elegant and has a impressive road presence. It has large trunk that can accommodate 2 helmets and one charger. You can bring 1 week’s grocery in it :) . The charging point cover is quite delicate. It does not have main stand. The leg space for driver is reduced because of the pipe running from dashboard to engine. It looks like camel trunk.
4. Price – I will rate 4.5/5 for current price if you compare all the available compare options including Ather, TVS iqube and Bajaj chetak electric. You get more power, range, and specification for lower cost.
5. Smart features – I will rate 2.5/5 for the operating system and overall integration and connectivity. I started facing issues in a weeks’ time. Many connectivity features are not yet available. The display is slow, and it hangs at times.          

Service Delivery  

This is the biggest question mark for newcomer in any space. Its not easy to establish a good network in the beginning. I had first-hand experience of it. I drove to my friend's place and the vehicle was not starting . The display got hang just like computer blue screen. I called called support and they asked to do few steps. Nothing worked. I had requested for roadside assistance and after couple of calls team arranged for vehicle pick up from the spot. I had to wait for an hour. I got confirmation call next day about my vehicle being received. However, there is no system available to track this. My vehicle was picked up on 8th Feb 22 and I received it back on 22 Feb 22. In between there was no communication. I had called support 5 times. I tweeted 5 times tagging the @olaleteric handle and finally the tagging the CEO. Then finally one guy called after a week and told I will get it in 2 days. When I didn’t get it, I had to call support and asked to conference the service team. Then he said that the part of the vehicle needs to be shipped from Bangalore and that’s where it is taking time. Finally, I had to tag and tweet the founder :) . A tech company like ola need to have a good CRM team and ability to track the service requests. Lot needs to be improved here. I would rate 2.5/5 for the overall experience..

Conclusion

This is value for money and high performant scooter with very good riding experience. Lot needs to be improved on Ola move OS. If it breaks, then the service delivery network is not reliable. In summary if you are one who wants to explore and ok with surprises, then go for it. If you are a looking for a matured product just like your existing fuel scooter, then wait till Ola electric improves on software and service delivery.   

Manoj Deshmukh is a founder and a CTO at Eteva Tech Consulting. He is technologically savvy and helps organisations thrive in the digital world. He is a passionate photographer, creative artist and loves to socialize and network.