In a seeming reversal, electric bike manufacturer Ola Electric has announced the suspension of production of the Ola S1 e-scooter until late 2022, as the company struggles to meet increased demand for the higher S1 Pro model. Customers who have booked the S1 have been notified that the S1 will be manufactured later this year even though the company began deliveries of the S1 last month. It says the vast majority of its customers have opted for the S1 Pro which is well-kitted in comparison with the S1.
Ola is encouraging customers who originally ordered the S1 should go for the upgrade via the Ola app. Final payments will be open from January 21 while dispatches will continue up till February, with a 10-20 day period given for deliveries to arrive at their destinations. The optics of the delivery process for the S1 Pro will be dependent on the customer’s location and specific RTO requirements.
In the alternative, customers with preorders of the S1 that are not upgraded within the specified window will have to wait till production resumes for the model, which is put at around eleven months. Ola says that customers will be notified as soon as production of the S1 resumes before final payments will be accepted and subsequent deliveries are done. Ola had tried to paper the cracks by proposing incentives and upgrades for the S1, but that has not stopped a varied mix of reactions from customers. Some buyers are however not happy that their choice model was not given priority, in favor of a more expensive and productive model for the company.
While the S1 Pro comes with a top speed of 115 km/h, the S1 offers about 90 km/h. The S1 has a range of 121km when compared with the S1 Pro whose range is 181km. In any case, the S1 is sufficiently primed for city commutes, although its lower range will mean more stops for recharging.
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