The company's high-speed Ola S1 and S1 Pro electric scooters created an impression last month when they were launched. Ola had previously stated that worldwide export plans were in the works, but we now know that the electric scooters will be delivered to the United States much sooner than we had anticipated.
The information was not released in a formal press release or a well-organized announcement.
Instead, it arrived in the form of a Twitter outburst a la Elon Musk, which caught the industry off surprise.
It all started when Vivek Wadhwa, a US-based entrepreneur, congratulated Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal on the scooter launch last month and said he'd love to get a scooter in Silicon Valley.
“Yes, very soon!” Aggarwal said. By early next year, we will be shipping to the United States.”
There's no word yet on whether the S1 or S1 Pro electric scooters will be homologated for the US market.
Fortunately, the process is rather simple, especially when compared to type testing in the European Union. Manufacturers are mostly required to "self-certify" that their vehicles comply with applicable DOT and NHTSA rules, making the process of preparing for US exports much easier.
There are currently very few high-speed and high-power electric scooters available in the United States. The closest comparisons are likely Piaggio's Vespa Elettrica and NIU's NQiGT Pro, but both only achieve speeds of around 45 mph (72 km/h) and are targeted for more expensive customers. The Vespa Elettrica costs around $7,600 in the United States, whereas the NIU NQiGT Pro costs around $4,600.
The CSC Wiz is less expensive at $2,495 but is slower at 42 mph (67 km/h) and is less of a premium scooter because of its basic features.
When the Ola S1 and S1 Pro were first launched in India last month, they were priced between US $1,050 and US $1,350.
Because the scooters are made in India, their prices will surely rise when they arrive in the United States, although they are unlikely to reach the levels of either NIU or Piaggio's offerings.
Ola won't be competing simply on pricing. The scooters are very powerful and technologically advanced.
The S1 has a top speed of 56 mph (90 km/h) and the S1 Pro has a top speed of 71 mph (115 km/h) thanks to an 8.5 kW electric motor installed within the scooter's chassis.
Both models have a huge 7-inch colour touch screen with GPS-based map navigation and user-selectable skins that display standard performance readouts.
The scooter, like your phone, comes with a digital voice assistant. “Hey Ola, play some music,” you may tell the scooter, and the song will start playing through the scooter's built-in audio system.
By connecting their phones to the scooter's OS, riders may even make phone calls.
When it comes to phones, the scooter's app gives you a lot of power. Riders can open the trunk, alter the lights, set geo-fencing limits, modify (or delete totally) electronic sound profiles, create rider profiles, and more.
For friends and family members, profiles can be put on the scooter so that the scooter remembers each rider's performance customizations and user interface modifications.
The batteries in Ola scooters aren't removable, but the large batteries provide plenty of range. The S1 has a capacity of 3 kWh and a range of 75 miles (121 kilometres). These values increase to 4 kWh and 112 miles (181 km) of range in the S1 Pro.
It's unclear when Ola's electric scooters will be available in the United States in 2022, but the phrase "early next year" looks promising.
We'll be sure to update you with any fresh information as soon as we have it. Let us know what you think of Ola's electric scooters arriving in the United States until then. Could this be the first low-cost, high-speed electric scooter in the United States, changing the transport landscape? Let us know what you think in the comments area below!
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