Ola S1 Pro

The Ola S1 Pro is the top-of-the-line electric scooter from Ola Electric. It offers among the highest range, best performance and the most features of any electric scooter in India. The Ola S1 Pro was launched back in 2021. Over the years, Ola has improved the riding experience and features of this electric scooter with their MoveOS software updates, the last being MoveOS 3.0 which was released in October 2022. It’s also the highest-selling high-speed electric scooter (maximum speed over 25kmph) in India.

The Ola S1 Pro stands out with its cool design, combining retro vibes with modern touches. From the sleek handlebar-to-seat connection to the tapering tail, the Ola S1 Pro certainly has a stylish appeal. Despite some odd features like the floorboard spine, the scooter's glossy black finish and soft pastel colors make it cool and stealthy. Even though the design is eye-catching, the Ola S1 Pro surprises with its compact size and retro-modern aesthetics. And the single-arm front suspension and single-sided swingarm ensure that the design of the alloy wheels is on full display from one side of the scooter.

While the Ola S1 Pro does look very attractive, it has some build quality issues, which need to be addressed. Some of the plastics feel a little flimsy and start rattling after a couple of months if you ride on bad roads often. Even split aluminium grab rails move if you put a little pressure on them. And the hinge that holds the seat when you open it also feels flimsy and its actually possible to pull the seat up a little (when it locked) and stick your hand into the underseat storage, making this a potential security hazard.

Powered by a 5.5kW motor (with a peak output of 8.5kW) and 4Wh battery pack, the S1 Pro impresses with a top speed of 116kmph and an ARAI-certified range of 181km. That said, in our testing, we were able to extract a range of 147.6km before we drained the battery. There are four riding modes to choose from - Eco, Normal, Sport and Hyper. Hyper mode is really fun and quick, allowing the S1 Pro to accelerate from zero to 40kmph in a claimed 2.9 seconds, which is quite accurate as our feather-weight tester managed to do the same in 3.01 seconds. The issue with Hyper mode is that you can’t use it for more than 15-20 mins, as it causes the battery to overheat and switches the S1 Pro back to Normal riding mode. And once the battery charge gets below 15 percent, it switches the scooter to Eco mode which cannot be changes until you charge the scooter once again.

While Normal and Sport modes are quite well suited for daily riding, the Eco mode is extremely slow (limiting the top speed to 37kmph) and struggles with inclines such as uphills and climbing flyovers. It’s only usable if you have perfectly level roads and you don’t need to overtake anyone. There were some throttle calibration issues in the earlier models of the S1 Pro, but the latest software update has resolved most of them. With the latest Move OS 3.0 update, the Ola S1 Pro’s throttle response has been improved, but there is still a marginal delay between the twisting throttle and the scooter moving forward or making that overtake.

With the MoveOS 3.0 update, Ola has added advanced regenerative braking which allows riders to choose from three levels—Low, Default, and High—for varied deceleration when you roll off the throttle. The scooter no longer cuts power completely when tapping the brakes, enhancing manoeuvrability, especially in tight turns. The MoveOS 3 updates also bring improved regenerative braking options for better control in traffic.

Built on a tubular chassis, the S1 Pro offers confidence-inspiring handling. The low centre of gravity and 110/70-12 inch MRF tyres provide a smooth ride, minimizing jarring thuds on potholes. At the front, the Ola S1 Pro uses a unique single-arm suspension setup. While Ola claims that this setup is 200 percent better than a conventional telescopic fork, there have been multiple reports of this cast aluminium swingarm breaking. In the second generation of the S1 Pro, Ola has switched to a conventional telescopic fork.

The scooter's upright position, high-set handlebar, and well-padded seat ensure comfortable commuting. But the wide seat and 800mm seat height means that shorter riders would need to sit a little forward on the seat to get both their feet on the ground easily. But otherwise, the wide and long seat is suitable for family use.

However, the floorboard spine may pose challenges for stowing luggage. This shouldn’t be a massive concern for most as the 36-litre underseat storage space is big enough to hold entire backpacks. And even when you’re carrying the portable charger in the boot, you still have plenty of storage left for a lot of groceries. The seat can be unlocked using the touchscreen controls on the 7-inch colour TFT dashboard.

The 7-inch touchscreen is bright and responsive, featuring chunky fonts for better readability. Cool additions include an apron-mounted USB port and integrated speakers. There are two new features that have gone active with MoveOS 3: Proximity Unlock and Hill Hold. In order to activate the former, you have to connect your smartphone to the scooter and follow the instructions on the app by moving around to sync the sensors. Once this process is completed, you could simply walk away from the scooter to lock it down and just approach it to unlock and ride away.  While it sounds simple, there are still a few bugs that need to be ironed out. While the locking process worked always, the unlocking process wasn’t always as smooth. 

Finally, Hill Hold is one feature that makes it easier to manage the scooter on steep inclines. Prior to activating the feature, you must first calibrate it by going to a flat road, toggling on Hill Hold in the settings menu, turning on the motor and pressing the brakes for three to four seconds. Later, when you do arrive on an incline, press the brakes till the hill hold prompt appears on the dash and only then let go of the brakes. The S1 Pro will remain locked for a minute after which the system will warn you that it is getting deactivated. In order to kill the hill hold, you can either tap the brake or simply roll away.

The addition of two new screen layouts, or "Moods," in MoveOS 3 allows for more customization. While the graphics are appealing, the engineered motor sounds, which change depending on how much you open the throttle, rather than how fast you’re travelling, and may not be everyone's cup of tea. Apart from that, there’s an option to play music from your paired phone through the apron-mounted speakers. And multiple Ola S1 Pros can play audio together, through a system Ola calls “Party Mode”.

There are other features too, such as cruise control, but these are still in Beta mode and will probably be fully unlocked with the MoveOS 4.0 update.

The Ola S1 Pro is undeniably a very exciting electric scooter that offers great performance and a huge amount of features at a reasonable price - Rs 1,39,999 (ex-showroom Bengaluru). But there are still a lot of quality issues that Ola needs to work out before the S1 Pro can be an easy recommendation. A lot of the issues can be addressed in future software updates, but it remains to be seen how Ola fixes some of the hardware quality problems. In any case, Ola has already started accepting bookings for the S1 Air Gen 2, which should start reaching customers by November-December 2023.