Amaan AhmedNov 20, 2021 20:28:42 IST
In what comes as disappointing information for consumers of Ola Electric’s maiden scooter in addition to EV lovers within the nation, deliveries of the Ola S1 and S1 Pro e-scooters have been pushed again once once more, and consumers’ await the scooter shall be extended by an additional few weeks. Tech2 can now verify prospects have been knowledgeable they’ll solely begin receiving their Ola S1/S1 Pro from the center of December 2021; a delay of round three weeks from the newest replace of deliveries commencing in November.
This is the newest in a spate of delays by Ola Electric. Originally, the start-up was to open the acquisition window for the scooters on 8 September, however with the corporate’s web site working into technical points, it was superior by per week to 15 September, following which Ola stopped taking orders inside two days. The second buy window – initially set to open on 1 November – was pushed again by a month and a half, and is now slated to open on 16 December.
Pre-orders for the Ola S1 electric scooter had opened in July, and deliveries had been initially promised in October. Image: Ola Electric
At launch, Ola Electric had promised deliveries of the scooters would begin in October; nonetheless, there was no signal of the S1 and S1 Pro in October, and check rides solely started on 10 November. Only these prospects who had paid Rs 20,499 may avail a check experience initially throughout simply 4 cities, and Ola has since expanded the initiative to supply check rides in 9 cities.
All via these delays, Ola Electric stood agency by its supply commitments, assuring consumers that they’ll obtain their scooter throughout the promised supply timeframe. However, with simply 10 days left within the month, Ola Electric has began informing prospects that there’s yet one more delay in deliveries, and that they’ll solely obtain their scooters beginning 15 December.
“Due to the ongoing global shortage of chipsets and electronic parts, there are some unavoidable delays to your Ola S1 delivery. We apologise for this delay and assure you that we are ramping up production as fast as we can so you can get your Ola S1 at the earliest”, reads an e-mail from Ola Electric, as seen by Tech2.
What’s value noting is that whereas Ola Electric is attributing this delay to a scarcity of digital elements, the scooter itself appears to be a while away from being absolutely prepared for purchasers. Several media homes that rode pre-production scooters earlier this month reported software program glitches, heating points and erratic throttle behaviour. Ola is alleged to be engaged on fixing these issues with software program updates earlier than it begins sending these scooters to prospects instantly, which can be a problem, as the corporate is aiming to set up a brand new, direct-to-consumer gross sales mannequin at a scale by no means seen earlier than.
It stays to be seen how prospects take to this newest (and not-insubstantial) delay in deliveries, contemplating many have already paid the total quantity for the scooter – which is priced at Rs 99,999 for the S1 and Rs 1,29,999 for the S1 Pro (ex-showroom, together with FAME-II subsidy however excluding state subsidies) and might be looking at ready for a month or extra for supply regardless of paying for the scooter up entrance. It’ll be a good larger problem for individuals who have opted for finance, as their funds for the scooter will possible begin even earlier than they’ve taken supply.