Buy The Ola S1 Now Or Hold Out For The Simple One

Which one pack enough value for money is just as important as how much each one excites


Ola Electric just launched the new S1, its most affordable e-scooter from the marque. Priced under a lakh of rupees and an ARAI-claimed range of 141km, this scooter claims serious value for money. On the other hand, there’s the upcoming Simple One which, at Rs 1,09,999 (ex-showroom) for the base variant, claims 236km of range. So, should you buy the Ola S1 for Rs 10,000 less now, or wait and buy the Simple One for a bit more and get a lot more?

Buy the Ola S1

In terms of design and features the Ola S1 is near-identical to the better-equipped S1 Pro. Hence, despite its more affordable price tag, you’re really not missing out on much. Where it misses out on is the battery department. The new S1 gets a smaller 3kWh Lithium-ion pack which offers an ARAI-certified range of 141km and yes, ‘Hyper’ mode is also given a miss.

That said, while the motor on the S1 is the same as the S1 Pro, top speed is limited to just 95kmph, while the 0-40kmph time is now down to 3.8 seconds and the 0-60kmph can be done in 5.9 seconds. But the two main reasons to buy one now are:
1. You can have one very soon. Book now for Rs 499, get an early access to purchase window by September 1 and deliveries will commence on September 7.
2. The introductory price of Rs 99,999 is only valid till the end of August 2022.

Hold for the Simple One
 
We recently rode the Simple One, check out what we liked and disliked about this near production-ready e-scooter. On paper, the Simple One is outright the most advanced offering in India. It claims better range and performance than even the Ola S1 Pro and the Ather 450X.

The tech laden One gets a bigger 4.8kWh battery pack and is powered by a 4.5kW motor that puts out max outputs of 8.5kW and 72Nm. The claimed 0-40kmph acceleration time is a shocking 2.77 seconds. You get four riding modes: 'Sonic’, ‘Dash’, ‘Ride’ and ‘Eco’, and top speed in each mode is 105kmph, 85kmph, 65kmph and 45kmph respectively.

The fixed battery in the Simple (the higher variant gets a portable unit too) will take 2 hours 45 minutes for a 0-80 percent charge, while the Ola S1 takes five hours to charge to 100 percent.

Verdict

Both scooters are relatively new to the game. However, Ola has been operational for a year, so its existing purchase and service network offers a more established ecosystem. The Simple, on the other hand, is getting closer to rolling out from the factory floor but deliveries will take longer. Simple will first tend to pending orders and only later cater to any fresh bookings. 

So here’s what we think: If you want something sporty and fun, and if you have the patience to wait about 6-8 months - go for the Simple One. But if you’re in a rush to buy an EV that gets the everyday runabout done, the S1 packs a decent bargain.