Women only scooter

Ola Electric CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has revealed the plan of employing around 10,000 women to work in the gigantic electric scooter factory.

The Futurefactory has an initial production capacity of 2 million electric scooters per year, eventually reaching 10 million units. Ola expects to supply 15% of electric scooters globally by next year, built by an entirely female workforce, including female managers.

Why the initiative is significant to India

India has a dramatically lower female employment rate compared to many of its neighbors and certainly compared to the West. Some figures estimate that women in India make up just 15% of labor participation.

Conservative views held by much of Indian society are that a woman belongs in the home to look after the children.

I do not place myself as an expert on India's socio-economic system and the role of women. However, I believe that giving such an opportunity to the disadvantaged is a good thing.

As Aggarwal puts it, "Enabling women with economic opportunities improves not just their lives but that of their families and indeed the whole community. In fact, studies show that just providing women parity in the labor workforce can grow India's GDP by 27%." 

About the scooters

Ola's megafactory will produce the S1 and S1 Pro scooter models.

These look like leaders not only in India's local market but also globally. That is because they offer better performance than any other comparably sized electric scooters at an affordable price.

Speed and range

An 8.5 kW electric motor provides the S1 with a top speed of 90 km/h (56 mph) and an even faster top speed in the S1 Pro of 115 km/h (71 mph).

An innovated banana-shaped battery pack under the rider's feet offers 121 km (75 miles) of range. In the high spec S1 Pro, that increases to 181 km (112 miles).

Battery

The battery is not removable, but you can quickly charge in around 30 minutes. An 18-minute charge on an Ola quick charger will provide 75 km (46 miles) of range.

Most riders will likely charge overnight, though. Home charging with a 750W portable charger will take around 4.5 hours on the S1 and 6.5 hours on the S1 Pro.

Storage

The under-foot mounting of the battery lowers the gravity center and maximizes the storage space under the seat.

Ola claims that riders can fit two helmets into the 36L storage compartment. Most scooters require bolting on a large rear trunk to get anywhere near that kind of storage space.

Operating system

The 121 kg (267 lb) scooters come with a 7inch color touch screen. It displays GPS-based map navigation plus typical performance readouts on user-selectable skins.

The system features a digital voice assistant. Saying "Hey Ola, play some music," will pull up your playlist and get the tunes sound out of the built-in speaker system.

Riders can take calls via the OS by connecting their phones. With the phone app, riders can also pop the trunk, adjust lighting, set geofencing boundaries, modify electronic sound profiles (or remove them entirely), create rider profiles, and more.

Proximity sensors mean that the scooter can unlock as the rider approaches; no need for the key. Walking away from the scooter automatically locks it.

Prices

Pricing starts at Rs 99,999 ($1,350). Some Indian states have local incentives that drop the price down to as low as Rs 79,999 ($1,050).

Compared to other leading electric scooters, Ola models do not just offer better performance and fancier features – they are also much more affordable.

Future

The Ola deal is significant. Its scooters can match both the performance and the price of many gas-powered motorbikes in India.

Moreover, with a base price of $1350, Ola can disrupt the international market with an attractive, fast, and high-tech electric scooter that costs less but does more than the current market leaders. 

For example, the popular NIU NGT Pro electric scooter costs around $4,600 in the US and scores below the Ola S1 in just about every category.

Tech for Good

💡 Article on Electrek