Ola Electric: NOT A Revolution YET!

Ola Electric, a brand that came up with a motive to revolutionize the ways Indians travel. Back in 2021, Ola’s founder, Bhavish Aggarwal, introduced us to the revolutionary electric scooters, S1 and S1 Pro. Ola Electric is the first company in India to have the largest manufacturing unit for electric two-wheelers. But, what seemed to be a revolutionary approach, now seems to have hit hurdles on its way. Let’s take a look at why we say so.

1. Ola Electric scooters delivery date

   On the initial date of delivery, Ola Electric decided to shift the dates a bit further. Then, there was a delay in production. Further down the road, the buyers who were going to get the delivery of their electric scooters in the first 15 days of January 2022 are still awaiting confirmation from the company’s end. There seems to be a huge issue with the supply chain management of Ola Electric that is leading to customers getting restless.

2. No physical touchpoint

   As revolutionary as it may sound, Ola Electric’s decision to have no physical dealership is actually an issue for the consumers. Let’s say, you are a buyer who has booked S1 or S1 Pro. You can only reach the company via online methods as there is no physical touchpoint near you. Ola’s decision to go all-digital might sound fancy, but it does take out the quotient of credibility, especially when the company has not been able to meet the deadlines or customer’s expectations on a larger scale.

3. Faulty scooters delivered with damages

   The point I made earlier is highly valid when it comes to buyers receiving faulty scooters. In one of the incidents, a buyer had to get his electric scooter towed within 6ms of driving. Many buyers have complained about receiving scooters with dents and scratches. Now, if a buyer is willing to pay over Rs. 1,00,000 for the scooter, they will expect something that is untouched and not at all wore off.

4. Ola Electric S1 Buyers asked to wait for longer

   In the recent development, according to a tweet from the company, polls are out. Ola S1 Pro customers are larger in numbers as compared to S1. So, the company has decided to halt the production of S1 and prioritized the production of S1 Pro. Furthermore, in the communication that the buyers have received from the company, Ola Electric has urged them to either upgrade to the S1 Pro model or wait for the new delivery dates. If a company decides to launch two variants of a vehicle, it should be ready, in all its capacity to deliver both the variants, depending upon their demands.

5. Still, no timelines defined

   With all the backlog of bookings, problems in the supply chain, halting the production of the base model, and delivering damaged scooters, Ola Electric has not defined the timelines for their customers. This is enough to make a consumer angry, especially if they are told to wait or upgrade to the higher variant.

So, have we lost the electric revolution?

Rome wasn’t built in a day! Ola Electric surely has an idea that can change the whole scenario of electric two-wheelers in India. So, saying that the revolution has been lost along the path is not at all a correct statement. Ola does need to come up with stronger management here. Still, there is a lot of hope left, if the scooters are delivered at a faster pace without being damaged or having faults. What are your thoughts? Should Ola Electric set up some touchpoints for their consumers? Is going all digital going to backfire? Do let us know in the comments section below.