Ola Electric electrified the nation with its groundbreaking S1 series of electric scooters, a phenomenon now ubiquitous on the e-scooter scene. The S1 and S1 Pro have etched their place in the market, and then Ola dropped the S1 Air bomb – a move to thrust the company’s crusade against what it disdainfully labels the ICE age into high gear. As sales commence, Ola Electric extended an invitation to witness the S1 Air firsthand at their cutting-edge ‘Future Factory’ facility.
On the surface, the Ola S1 Air appears almost indistinguishable from its kin. Yet, a discerning eye is required to unravel the subtleties of change. Design nuances include the dual-tone body, a welcome flat floor, and conventional grab handles. The color palette, however, is reduced to six choices – Coral Glam, Porcelain White, Stellar Blue, Midnight Blue, Liquid Silver, and Neon – a departure from the richer options available for other Ola scooters.
The rationale behind the flat floor is elementary; the S1 Air boasts a purportedly revolutionary platform (frame) for its latest e-scooter. The deviation from the norm, aside from the new frame, lies in the discreet adoption of a conventional front fork setup – a detail Ola Electric seemed uncharacteristically reticent to discuss openly. The powertrain undergoes a metamorphosis as well. Departing from the mid-mounted motor configuration of its siblings, the S1 Air embraces a hub unit. This hub-mounted motor delivers 3.62bhp under standard conditions, with peak output soaring to 6bhp and 150Nm. This robust setup propels the S1 Air from 0 to 40km/h in a mere 3.3 seconds, achieving a top speed of 90km/h (as claimed).
The S1 Air’s power is drawn from an NMC lithium-ion battery boasting 2.98kWh of charge. According to ARAI testing, it offers an impressive range of 125km. Much like its kin, the S1 Air features multiple riding modes – Eco, Normal, and Sport. In Eco mode, it claims a commendable 125km of actual range, which decreases to 100km in Normal and 87km in Sports mode. The overall design adheres to the familiar aesthetic of Ola Electric products, maintaining the robotic contours from front to rear, while the 7-inch display, governing nearly every function, retains its consistency with Ola’s other scooters, running Move OS 3.0 right out of the box (flaws and all, but more on that later).
In the realm of straight-line speed, the S1 Air emulates the fervor of its siblings, even without the hyper mode that crowned the S1 Pro as the monarch of city street drags. The S1 Air units we test-rode during our brief stint at the Ola Future Factory were equipped with beta software, unveiling a few wrinkles in the form of bugs. Some units hesitated to engage cruise control and Sport mode, while others flatly refused to transition into Eco mode.
