The Ola S1 Air is the most affordable Ola electric scooter in the market today and promises to offer the entire S1 experience but on a budget. Priced at Rs 1.09 lakh ex-showroom until August 15, the company claims that S1 Air has received a significant amount of bookings.
For those considering the new Ola S1 Air but wondering how different or similar the new electric scooter is compared to the S1 Pro, here’s what’s new with the S1 Air.
Ola S1 Air – Design
At first glimpse, one can easily mistake the S1 Air for the Pro, however, a second glance at it shows more details. The S1 Air is based on Ola’s Gen 2 platform, which has seen small but notable changes that reflect on the design of the scooter.
The Ola S1 Air gets a flat footboard, telescopic front suspension, drum brakes, and new dual-tone bodywork. Towards the rear, the S1 Air again gets dual shocks and a box-section swingarm. The design may look like a step-down with the new suspension setup, but this seems to be a move away from the older suspension setup that was prone to problems.
Ola S1 Air – Battery and range
One of the biggest cost-cutting measures is in the electric powertrain setup. The new S1 Air gets a smaller 2.98kWh battery pack mounted to a hub motor instead of a mid-mounted motor like the S1 Pro. The TVS iQube also gets a hub-mounted electric motor.
The S1 Air’s electric motor offers a range of 100km on a full charge, while it can help the scooter accelerate from 0 to 60kmph in under 6 seconds. The S1 Air gets Eco, Normal, and Sport modes and the company claims that the battery can be fully charged in 5 hours using a home charger.
Ola S1 Air – Suspension
We already spoke briefly about the suspension setup when speaking about design, however, this aspect needs more elaboration. The older single-sided front suspension setup was marketed extensively by Ola, but a lot of customers complained about it breaking and eventually Ola agreed to change it for customers.
With the S1Air, Ola has gone back to the drawing board and has equipped the electric scooter with traditional telescopic front suspension, which is the industry standard, across all manufacturers. The same applies to the rear suspension, which is a dual-shock setup.
Ola S1 Air – Features
Keeping cost in mind, one would expect the Ola S1 Air to skimp out on features, however, Ola has retained most features from the S1 Pro. The S1 Air gets a 7-inch TFT touchscreen dash with features such as connectivity, navigation, party mode, music and more.
There are subtle differences though, as the S1 Air gets a single speaker instead of two on the S1 Pro. The Air also misses out on the hill hold function and the Hyper mode, however, for a commuter, the S1 Air is well-equipped in terms of features and tech.
