Ola S1’s Geeky Features Explored

Ola Electric has created ripples in the EV industry by launching its competitively priced yet feature-loaded Ola S1 and Ola S1 Pro. The electric scooter retails at Rs 99,999 for the base S1 variant and Rs 1,29,999 for the premium S1 Pro model, both ex-showroom Bengaluru including the revised FAME II subsidies. Wondering what kind of features the two electric scooters pack? Well, you’ve come to the right place.

‘Smart’ Powertrain

The Ola S1 comes with two riding modes: Normal and Sports. On the other hand, the Ola S1 Pro gets three: Normal, Sports and Hyper. Apart from these riding modes, both electric scooters feature a reverse mode as standard. The S1 Pro also gets hill hold function and cruise control as standard. The two electric scooters share the same 8.5kW peak (5.5kW continuous) electric motor, producing 58Nm of torque at the shaft.

Smartphone-like Instrument Cluster

The Ola S1 and the S1 Pro are equipped with a proper 7-inch TFT touchscreen with dedicated buttons on the switchgear for extra convenience. The instrumentation is powered by Ola’s new proprietary operating system, the ‘Move OS’. This is paired to a Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) with an Octacore processor, 3GB RAM, 4G, Wi-Fi, as well as Bluetooth connectivity, designed and engineered in India.

Pair it with your smartphone app, and you can unlock the scooter simply by being in close proximity. It automatically locks itself once the smartphone is out of range. You can also lock or unlock the boot remotely, receive calls/messages, access contacts, and even share your real-time location. More importantly, it gets full-fledged on-board navigation just like the Ather 450X and the Simple One.

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Another interesting feature is ‘Moods’. This alters the instrument cluster’s info layout and also changes how the electric scooter sounds thanks to the inbuilt speaker. Then there’s the Bolt mood for performance, which shows the speed, power output, motor rpm, top speed, and tripmeter. For the environmentally conscious, the ‘Care’ mood switches the instrument cluster’s layout to a greener theme, complete with speed, kilograms of CO2 avoided, and tripmeter. The ‘Vintage’ theme is perfect for enthusiasts who like all things old school. It shows a retro-themed analogue-style speedometer with odometer, tachometer, and compass. The futuristic ‘Wonder’ mood shows the torque output, speed and the kWh readings of the battery.

Plus, you can also have your own widgets to be displayed in the dashboard, for added convenience. They will have their unique design themes to go with the mood you’ve selected. You can save all your preferences into multiple profiles for different users. The Profile feature will also let you control certain aspects of the electric scooter such as live location tracking, speed and area limit, time fence, and even mode restriction.

You can also check the battery charge status, track/control your e-scooter, book a service appointment or call for roadside assistance via the app. There’s also a brake pad wear sensor on both variants, which will alert you if the pads are worn out. The Ola S1 Pro additionally features a voice assistant, which will have to be paired with an aftermarket Bluetooth earphone. Using this, you can control certain aspects of your scooter (like play music) just by asking it to.

For optimal safety, the electric scooter comes with a geofencing feature, anti-theft alert, side-stand alert, Limp Home Mode, find-my-scooter lights, and manual SOS activation on the console. Of course, you also get OTA (Over The Air) updates as well as forced updates on both variants to keep them up-to-date with all the latest features.

All in all, Ola Electric has made sure both variants get all the important features as standard. The only aspects that would really make you consider the more expensive S1 Pro are the range and performance figures. Of course, the cruise control, voice assistance, and hill hold feature are added bonuses! Let us know what you think of the electric scooter in the comments below.