Ola Electric, a subsidiary of ride-hailing company Ola Cabs has a big plan to become one of the largest electric scooter manufacturers in the country. The brand has unveiled the 'Ola Hypercharger Network' – a charging solution for its all-upcoming two-wheeler products starting with the Ola Scooter to be launched in the coming months. Recently, Hero MotoCorp has also announced its strategic partnership with tech giant Gogoro to build a swappable charging network in India.
What is Ola Hypercharger Network?
Ola has revealed that it will set up dedicated multistorey charging structures/towers deployed in city centers and dense business districts. It will also construct multiple charging ports/stations across various popular locations such as malls, IT parks, office complexes, cafes, public places, and more. This will ensure that Ola’s customers always have a Hypercharger nearby. The brand has stated that the Hypercharger will be the fastest two-wheeler charging network that can charge the upcoming Ola Scooter up to 50% in just 18 minutes for a 75 kms range, providing superior range confidence.
Further, to make the entire process seamless and effortless, the brand has integrated the Ola App in such a way that it can be used to locate the nearest Hypercharger station/charging point. Customers could also easily monitor the real-time charging progress on the Ola app and the same app can be used to seamlessly pay for the charging as well.
Ola also claims that its Hypercharger Network will be the largest electric two-wheeler charging network in the world, with more than 1 lakh charging points across 400 cities of the country. The brand has a plan to set up over 5,000 charging points across 100 cities in the first year, which is more than double the existing charging infrastructure in the country.
Besides the widespread charging network, Ola will also provide a home charger with its upcoming Ola Scooter that can be used by simply plugging it into any regular wall socket for overnight charging.
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About Ola Scooter
Ola Scooter will be based on Etergo's AppScooter and will share its design and features with it. The Ola Scooter will be compact in size and will feature a simple yet futuristic design. The notable elements of this upcoming e-scooter include human-eye-like split LED headlamps with surround LED daytime running lamps, LED turn indicators, flush finish pillion footpegs, two-piece grab-rail, and horizontally placed LED taillamps.
(For the people not in know, the Etergo is a Netherland-based electric start-up, which was acquired by Ola in May 2020.)
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While the technical details are yet to be revealed, the announcement of the Hypercharger network reveals that Ola Scooter is likely to offer a segment-leading range of around 150kms on a full charge. However, it is unlikely to get swappable batteries, which are offered in the AppScooter.
The Ola Scooter will be manufactured at the Ola Futurefactory, which is being built in Tamil Nadu, India. It is expected to be launched by the second half of 2021 and could be priced at around Rs 1.20-1.30 lakh (ex-showroom). Once launched, it will lock horns with the Ather 450X, Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube Electric, and upcoming Hero e-Maestro.
