One owner paraded his Ola electric scooter with donkey in Maharashtra – Other in Tamil Nadu poured petrol and set it on fire
Ola entered the electric two-wheeler segment in India after acquiring a Netherlands-origin electric scooter company Etergo BV, which was founded in 2014, in 2020. The company’s AppScooter, on which the Ola S1 pro is based, was first revealed in 2018 and it won a number of awards at different events, including CES 2019 and Automotive Brand Contest, Germany.
Ola S1 Pro has a claimed range of 181 kms and is fitted with a 3.97 kWh battery, which powers a ‘Hyperdrive’ motor that delivers output of 8.5kW and torque of 58 Nm. Top speed of the scooter is 115 kmph and 0-60 kmph is achieved in 5 seconds. The S1 Pro weighs 125 kg and rides on 110/70-R12 tyres.
Ola Electric Scooter Set On Fire By Owner
A new incident has come to light, where owner of S1 Pro has set his electric scooter on fire. The video of the incident has now gone viral on social media. As per Sun News, the said owner of Ola electric scooter, Dr. Prithviraj was unhappy with the performance as well as range.
Dr. Prithviraj got delivery about 3 months ago, and has been facing issues from the start. He had complained to Ola Electric about the same multiple times. Ola support did take a look at the scooter, and found no issues. He claims that the range is erratic. Today, his scooter stopped working after 44 kms. Angry with this, he set his scooter on fire by pouring petrol over it. The incident took place near Ambur bypass road, Tamil Nadu
Ola Electric Scooter Recall
Following spate of incidents involving electric scooters of different manufacturers, which have caused death and injuries, Ola Electric have announced that they will recall 1,441 units of its S1 Pro electric scooters. These affected electric scooters will be in for proper check-up and fixing of any issue which surface.
It all started when one of the Ola electric scooters caught fire, while it was parked in Pune last month. According to Ola Electric, preliminary investigation revealed that it was an isolated incident and not an inherent issue with the battery or other parts fitted to its scooters. However, the company added that investigation, focusing on the battery and heat management system, was ongoing to find how the scooter self-combusted.
Experts to Examine Scooters
Ola Electric said that the recalled units are of the same batch as the above-mentioned scooter which caught fire and all of them will undergo a detailed diagnostics and health check. The company says it has hired services of experts in this field to find the reason behind the fire adding that once investigations are complete, the findings will be made public. Videos and pictures of Ola S1 Pro catching fire went viral on social media. This caused panic among owners. Embarrassing the company, which invested Rs 2,400 crore to set up a scooter manufacturing factory in Tamil Nadu in 2020.
However, it is not only Ola Electric which has been hit by issues with electric scooters. Okinawa has recalled 3,215 units of its Praise Pro electric scooters to fix battery-related issues. Last week in Hyderabad, the battery of a Pure EV electric scooter exploded while it was being charged, resulting in the death of one person and injuries to two others. This led to Pure EV recalling 2,000 units of Etrance+ and EPluto 7G electric scooters to check their batteries and chargers. Following these incidents, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari warned electric vehicle manufacturers that if they don’t recall their vehicles and thoroughly check them, the companies will have to face the full force of law.
Ola Electric Scooter Production To Increase Further
Currently, Ola is the No 2 electric scooter brand in India. First being Hero Electric. As per FADA date, in March 2022 alone, Ola delivered more than 9k electric scooters. Speaking to the media recently, Ola said that they are currently manufacturing about 800 electric scooters per day. Total production has already crossed the 50k mark.
Production will be increasing to 2,000 scooters per day in a few months. Current production capacity is at 15 lakh units per year. At full capacity, production can be at 1 crore units per year. Due to the current scenario, shortage of parts – production is largely hindered.
