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    75 Ola Electric Showrooms Shut Down – Here’s Why

    New Ola E-Scooter
    Ola Electric has been under the limelight for a very long time and not for good reasons. The company has been caught up in an ocean of customer complaints. But what seems to have troubled the brand more is legal actions faced due to malpractices by Ola dealerships. In Maharashtra, the crackdown on Ola dealerships has deepened.
    As per a recent report, Maharashtra Government has instructed RTO Department to shut down all the Ola Electric dealerships that have been operating without a valid trade certificate. As per this report, around 75 Ola Electric showrooms in India operating without trade certificates have been shut down and 192 scooters have been seized. Let’s take a closer look.
    83% Of Inspected Stores Lacked Trade Certificate
    The Bengaluru-based electric mobility solutions provider, Ola Electric, has found itself in the middle of turmoil with Maharashtra Government. The state’s joint transport commissioner has issued a show cause notice to Maharashtra RTOs in an email dated 16th April 2025, widening its crackdown on Ola Electric.
    As per a recent report, RTOs have inspected around 146 Ola Electric stores in Maharashtra. 121 of these inspected dealerships or experience centres failed to produce a trade certificate. Which is 82.87% of the inspected dealerships. 75 of these have been shut down so far and 192 electric scooters have been seized in the process.
    Ola Electric Scooter outside a service outlet
    Instructions were to shut down any Ola dealership operating under an RTO in Maharashtra state without a valid trade certificate. A showroom or a vehicle distributor needs to have a trade certificate from necessary authorities so that the vehicles sold through their dealership can be registered in the state.
    75 Ola Electric Showrooms Shut Down
    This could be the reason why there was a discrepancy in sales in February 2025 where Ola claimed around 25k units sold, while only 8,647 of them were registered. This was followed by a slew of inspections in the month of March 2025 by the RTO Department in key Maharashtra cities like Pune and Mumbai.
    Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik mentioned that many of Ola’s experience centres were found to be operating without a trade certificate. Some of them were even found sharing a trade certificate among themselves. Maharashtra Transport Department served a notice to Ola Electric and the company replied that it was in the process of applying for trade certificates across all the stores in Maharashtra.
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    Government Probe On Ola Electric Initiated For Registration Discrepancy

    Ola S1 Pro+ Gen 3Ola Electric is creating a lot of buzz and headlines in the recent past and not for good reasons. The company is facing a major backlash on social media and has been tangled with raids, seized vehicles, misleading advertisements, clashes with Government, poor after sales reputation, payment defaults, workforce layoffs, missing PLI Scheme deadlines, dwindling sales and more.
    Now, Ola Electric has found itself in yet another sticky situation due to registration discrepancies for the month of February 2025. The official sales figures produced by Ola Electric have night and day differences when we look at actual registrations seen on Vahan Portal. The Ministry of Heavy Industries has directed ARAI to investigate the same.
    Government Probe On Ola Electric
    If we take a look at Ola’s sales performance for the month of February 2025, we can see that Vahan Portal only showed 8,647 registrations. This was a colossal downfall for Ola as the company faced 74.5% decline in sales YoY and 64.5% decline in sales MoM.
    However, Ola claims that the company sold around 25K units in February 2025 and the discrepancy is due to the negotiations and optimisations in registration process. This created a massive difference in the vehicles registered and what the company claims its sales performance to be.
    Ministry of Heavy Industry has instructed ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) to investigate whether this discrepancy is against the company laws and regulatory standards. ARAI’s investigation will also include Ola’s recent controversy of selling electric scooters without trade certificates in a few authorised dealerships.
    ARAI’s investigation will also extend to determine whether or not the company has service centres in all the cities where it has sales operations. A detailed report will be compiled by ARAI and submitted to Ministry of Heavy Industries after investigating Ola Electric’s practices and operations.
    Malpractices found, Scooters seized
    RTO authorities in Pune and Mumbai commenced raids on a few Ola authorised dealerships and seized 36 electric scooters that failed to meet compliance requirements. In Punjab many Ola dealerships have been shut down and places like Jabalpur, RTO authorities have issued notice to Ola Electric as scooters were sold without registrations and valid trade certificates.
    Ola Electric’s voes in India seem to be growing and Bhavish Aggrawal led electric mobility solutions provider will be held accountable if any discrepancy are found. Ola Electric is yet to make a public statement about these developments related to sales discrepancies and malpractices like selling vehicles without registration and trade certificates.
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    Ola Electric Stores Raided Over Trade Certificate Violations – Showrooms Shut, Vehicles Seized

    Ola Electric ScooterInvestigations revealed that out of 3,400 Ola showrooms, just over 100 stores had trade certificates on display
    India’s Motor Vehicles Act (MVA) mandates that auto showrooms should display a trade certificate. This regulation has been grossly flouted by Ola Electric leading to its stores being raided. Investigation revealed that out of the 3,400 showrooms spread across the country, only 100 such stores had trade certificates on display.
    Ola Electric Stores Raided – MVA Regulations Flouted
    Ola Electric, a Bengaluru based electric scooter maker, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Once a leader in this segment, sales have declined considerably following customer complaints with regard to service and range issues and various other factors. More recently, investigations have revealed that the company has also been flouting mandates as per Motor Vehicles Act.
    Out of 3,400 showrooms, only around 100 stores had test certificates prominently displayed. This meant that over 95% of stores did not have test certification required to display, sell, offer test rides and transport unregistered electric scooters. Following these complaints, raids have been conducted and showrooms have been shut. Vehicles have been seized and a show-cause notice has been sent to the Bhavish Aggarwal led electric two wheeler manufacturer.
    On further inquiry, the automaker however, has brushed aside these complaints. Though the company did not directly confirm or deny that their stores had been raided over non-conformance to MVA regulations, they did state that reports of non-compliance are ‘misplaced’ and ‘prejudiced’.
    Spokespersons contend that the company does maintain an inventory of unregistered vehicles at their various stores and warehouses across the country. They also confirmed that all necessary approvals are in order and are fully compliant with the Motor Vehicles Act while they possess all required approvals.
    This issue of non-compliance is not new. The first warning was sent by the transport department to Ola Electric way back in 2023. To date, nearly two dozen notices have been sent by state-level transport officials, while the recent matter was brought to the fore in March 2025 with Transport officials confirming that further investigations are underway at Ola stores with stores being raided and some of them closed.
    Falling Sales, Decline Share Price
    Ola Electric has suffered a steep decline in demand. Sales have plunged and share prices have plummeted by over 60% from its peak since listing in August 2024. In Feb 2025, the company sold just over 8,500 units relating to a severe YoY decline. The company also lost out on its No. 1 position in this segment, to Bajaj, TVS Motors and Ather Energy, relegated to a No. 4 spot on the government portal VAHAN since customers cannot receive unregistered vehicles.
    Despite these constraints, Aggarwal states that the company could see a turn-around soon. Sales will be back on track at around 50,000 units per month. The company’s portfolio continues to include both Gen 2 and Gen 3 products with the 3rd generation S1 range that includes S1 X, S1 X+, S1 Pro, and S1 Pro+ models. The company also announced the upcoming MoveOS 5 beta release. This new update offers a range of among which are Smartwatch App, Smart Park, Bharat Mood, Road Trip Mode powered by Ola Maps, Live Location Sharing, Emergency SOS, etc.
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    Ola Electric Motorcycle Deliveries May Get Delayed – Homologation Pending

    Ola Roadster X Electric BikeElectric two-wheelers have to pass various tests as part of the homologation process before the Type Approval Certificate (TAC) is issued
    Last month in February, Ola Electric had launched its Roadster X electric bike range. A total of five variants are currently on offer, available in the range of Rs 85,000 to Rs 1.85 lakh. Deliveries of Roadster X were scheduled to commence from mid-March 2025. However, new report reveals that the bike is yet to be homologated.
    Battery, powertrain issues
    The report states that Ola Roadster X electric bike has multiple issues. It includes the battery pack, thermal management, battery management system (BMS) and the electric motor. This could potentially explain why the homologation process for Ola Roadster X is yet to be initiated. The homologation process for electric two-wheelers can take anywhere between three to six months to complete.
    Until the homologation process is complete, a vehicle is not considered roadworthy. It’s only after the vehicle has passed all the tests that the Type Approval Certificate is issued. For electric two-wheelers, various tests are conducted during the homologation exercise. The list includes range test, top speed test, gradeability test, acceleration test, battery and electrical systems safety tests, structural and durability tests, braking and stability tests, fire safety tests, charging and connector compliance tests, etc.
    The size of the battery pack of Ola Roadster X could be causing the issues, adds the report. Roadster X is available with 4 battery pack options – 2.5 kWh, 3.5 kWh, 4.5 kWh and 9.1 kWh. It appears that the problem could be more applicable for the 9.1 kWh battery pack. Ola manufactures this in-house and calls it the 4680 Bharat cell. It is reported that the existing thermal management system is not proving effective in dissipating heat. Such systems need to work optimally to prevent battery-related fire incidents.
    Ola Roadster X deliveries could be delayed?
    If the reports are true, deliveries of the Ola Roadster X electric bike could be delayed. It remains to be seen how fast Ola can come up with solutions to fix the issues with the bike. Even then, several weeks will be needed for the homologation exercise to complete.
    Ola Roadster X electric bike is an ambitious project that aims to be a gamechanger for the motorcycle segment in India. With five variants, Ola has ensured that the bike is accessible to a large segment of users. The 2.5 kWh base variant is affordably priced and matches the pricing of ICE motorcycles in 100cc to 125cc range. Even the base variant has an IDC certified range of 140 km. Top speed is also quite good at 105 km/h.
    Users who want to unlock enhanced performance and higher range can choose the Roadster X+ 4.5 kWh or the Roadster X+ 9.1 kWh variant. The former has a range of 252 km, whereas the top variant can travel an astounding 501 km on a full charge. Both these variants have peak power output of 11 kW (15 PS) and top speed of 125 km/h. 0 to 40 km/h is achievable in just 2.7 seconds. All variants of Ola Roadster X electric bike are available with battery warranty of 3 years / 50,000 km.
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    Ola Electric Feb 2025 Sales Decline 75% – 1,200 Job Cuts

    Ola S1 Pro Sona EditionOnce the de facto electric scooter manufacturer in India, Ola Electric has had a colossal downfall with volume and market share declines beyond company’s expectations. 74.5% decline in volumes YoY and 64.5% MoM, to be precise, from 33,906 units registered in February 2024 to 8,647 units registered in February 2025.
    Ola Electric Feb 2025 Sales
    The negative rep around Ola Electric is increasing and the company is now under the limelight for a colossal YoY sales decline and cutting down around a quarter of its workforce across multiple departments. Ola Electric is also under the scrutiny of IFCI for not meeting set milestones under the PLI ACC scheme.
    The aforementioned issues surrounding Ola Electric are additions to the already existing ones revolving around drop in sales and market shares, plummeting share prices after its grand debut in August 2024, social media backlash for lack of quality in products and service, misleading advertisements, around 80,000 complaints in a month and many more.
    One look at the sales charts, we can see that Ola has lost considerable market share to major rivals like Bajaj Chetak, TVS iQube, Ather Energy and Hero MotoCorp’s Vida. As per the VAHAN portal, Ola registered a total sales of just 8,647 units in February 2025. In contrast, Ola registered 33,906 units in February 2024, which resulted in a 74.5% YoY decline.
    Ola Registrations February 2025 – Economic Times
    At the same time, TVS registered 28.7% YoY growth with 18,748 units, Bajaj Chetak registered a staggering 81.8% YoY growth with 21,335 units, Ather registered 30.3% YoY growth with 11,789 units, Hero Vida registered 52.5% YoY growth with 2,607 units and other brands combined, registered 12.2% YoY growth with 12,802 units.
    While mentioning sales, we are using the term ‘registered’ and not ‘sold’. That’s because Ola Electric quotes this colossal drop in sales to negotiations and optimisations of registration process, thus impacting the actual sales data for the month of February 2025 on VAHAN portal. As per Ola Electric, actual units sold may be more than 8,647 units in February 2025.
    1,200 Ola workforce laid-off
    When Ola Electric filed for IPO launch in March 2024, the company disclosed that it had a workforce of 4,011 individuals. Majority of these workers were employed in manufacturing, supply chain management, sales and service fulfillment. In November 2024, Ola Electric let go of up to 10% of its workforce at around 400 employees.
    Ola Electric Scooter
    In March 2025, the situation for Ola worsened with crushing financial losses. In a grand plan of restructuring, Ola Electric is laying off around 1,200 employees, which is more than a quarter of its total workforce. These include both permanent staff and contract basis workers and the company aims to curb costs and increase profitability.
    Apart from workforce, Bhavish Aggarwal led Ola Electric has witnessed multiple senior-level departures as well. Primary of them include Chief Technology Officer Suvonil Chatterjee and Chief Marketing Officer Anshul Khandelwal. With a new multi-pronged approach, Ola Electric is poised to turn the tides around in its favour.
    Source – Economic Times More

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    Ola Gen 3 Scooter Price Hike Up To Rs 15K – Introductory Offer Ended In 7 Days

    Ola S1 Pro+ Gen 3Bengaluru-based electric mobility solutions provider, Ola Electric, has ended the introductory prices offered with their Gen 3 electric scooters. This has resulted in a price hike with their newly launched Gen 3 electric scooters by up to Rs 15,000. Not all the variants get a uniform price hike. Let’s take a look.
    Ola Gen 3 Scooter Price Hike
    Launched on January 31st, Ola S1 Gen 3 scooters were priced starting at Rs 79,999 (Effective Ex-sh). These were introductory prices only and they only lasted for a very short span of just 7 days. Revised prices have been revealed on the company’s website now and the Gen 3 scooters from Ola are now dearer by up to Rs 15,000.
    This 7-day introductory offer is just enough to steer clear of the “misleading advertisement” tag and can be termed as a headline-generating strategy. Offering these introductory prices for longer would have made a meaningful impact on buyers.
    Speaking of the price hike, Ola Electric has not messed with the headline-generating base price of Rs 79,999 (Effective Ex-sh) on S1 X 2 kWh variant. Also, both the top-tier S1 X+ 4 kWh and 5.3 kWh variants have retained their launch prices as well. This leaves Ola S1 X+, higher variants of S1 X and S1 Pro.
    Ola Gen 3 Scooter Price Hike
    Starting with S1 X, the 3 kWh variant has seen an upward price revision of Rs 4,000, while it is Rs 5,000 for the 4 kWh variant. With the new prices, S1 X still starts from Rs 79,999, but now goes till Rs 1,04,999 (both prices Effective Ex-sh). S1 X+ model gets a sole 4 kWh variant and gets a price hike of Rs 4,000 leading to a sticker price of Rs 1,11,999 (Effective Ex-sh).
    The highest price hike of Rs 15,000 has been enforced on Ola S1 Pro model. Especially the 3 kWh variant. The 4 kWh variant, on the other hand, gets a smaller (relatively) price hike of Rs 10,000. The new price for Ola S1 Pro now starts from Rs 1,29,999 and goes till Rs 1,44,999 (both prices Effective Ex-sh).
    Ola Gen-3 Scooters
    What all is new?
    When compared to the older Gen 2 range of electric scooters, Gen 3 gets a lot of improvements. They bring brake-by-wire technology promising 15% more range than Gen, single-channel ABS (advertised as “Dual ABS” with motor braking involved and not rear brakes), mid-mounted motor across the range, single integrated board, Move OS 5, DIY mode to control braking and throttle response, among others.
    Ola S1 Pro+ Gen-3
    The top-spec S1 Pro+ 5.3 kWh variant from Ola Electric packs a massive battery pack populated by the company’s in-house developed 4680 Bharat cells. Maximum range promised is 320 km, peak power is 13 kW (17.43 bhp) and the top speed is 141 km/h. More

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    Ola Roadster X Electric Bike Launch Price Rs 75K – 9.1 kWh Battery, 501km Range

    Ola Roadster X Electric Bike LaunchExpanding their electric mobility solutions portfolio, Ola Electric just launched the Roadster X range of electric commuter motorcycles in India. The introductory price starts from Rs 74,999, which is applicable only for the next 7 days. Post which prices will increase at company’s discretion. A similar strategy was seen with Ola S1 Gen 3 scooters launched a few days ago.
    Ola Roadster X Electric Bike
    After launching the Gen 3 version of its popular S1 electric scooter range, Ola has expanded their expertise into electric motorcycles. Roadster X and Roadster X+ are the two motorcycles that were launched on the stage today. These are aimed at the country’s popular budget commuter motorcycles from brands like Hero MotorCorp, Honda, TVS and Bajaj.
    Ola Roadster X Electric Bike Launch Price
    Ola has used all the tricks up their sleeves to make Roadster X stand out from other mainstream budget commuter motorcycles. Stand out, they do. Design is a major draw for Roadster X as it looks futuristic and sharp, while its immediate budget commuter rivals look drab and dull.
    Ola Roadster X Design
    We can see an attractive fascia with LED lighting, a 4.3-inch colour LCD instrument cluster and edgy detailing on its bodywork. Front suspension is RSU telescopic forks, while rear suspension is made of twin shock absorbers. A single-piece seat, single-piece grabrail, alloy wheels, saree guard, front disc brake, single-channel ABS, cruise control, reverse mode, brake-by-wire and industry-first flat cable implementation are notable elements.
    Ola Electric Motorcycle Scalable Platform
    Powertrain & Prices
    With Ola Roadster X electric bike, powertrain choices and prices go hand in hand, as the battery is the most prominent cost contributor. Speaking of battery, Ola Roadster X motorcycle is positioned on a new platform that supports modular and scalable battery module and chassis components. Ola Roadster X+ 9.1 kWh variant promises 11 kW (14.75 bhp) of peak power, 125 km/h top speed and a claimed range of 501 km.
    Roadster X+ & Roadster X
    The battery pack is populated by Ola’s new Bharat 4680 cells and can be scalable between 2.5 kWh and 9.1 kWh, yielding multiple choices. The base Roadster X is offered with 2.5 kWh (Rs 89,999), 3.5 kWh (Rs 99,999) and 4.5 kWh (Rs 1,09,999) options, while Roadster X+ gets 4.5 kWh (Rs 1,19,999) and 9.1 kWh (Rs 1,69,999) battery pack (all prices effective Ex-sh, without introductory offer).
    Roadster X+ & Roadster X
    We are not highlighting introductory prices as these are only headline generators and the 1 week offer period is not going to be enough for meaningful impact. Purchases start today and the Rs 15,000 introductory offer is for 1 week only. Interestingly, despite the big announcement, investors seemed unimpressed as the stock dipped towards market close. Ola Electric closed in the red, down 1.58% at Rs 73.67.

    Ola Electric launched its new electric motorcycles today, but its stock closed in the red, down 1.58% at ?73.67.
    Despite the big announcement, investors seemed unimpressed as the stock dipped towards market close. pic.twitter.com/i7GEewrY7f
    — RushLane (@rushlane) February 5, 2025 More

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    Ola S1 Pro+ 5.3 kWh vs Top-Spec Rivals – Ather, Chetak, iQube, Hero Vida

    Ola S1 Pro+ 5.3 kWh Battery Flagship VariantThe electric scooter landscape is changing rapidly in India. Once a dominating force, Ola Electric has consistently lost market share across the CY24, while Bajaj and TVS made quick success. However, Ola has returned with a vengeance with their Gen 3 electric scooters. The top-spec S1 Pro+ 5.3 kWh made quite a spectacle and putting it against rival top-spec variants sheds interesting results. Let’s take a look.
    Ola S1 Pro+ 5.3 kWh vs Top-Spec Rivals
    With the Gen 3 products, Ola has carved out a new top-spec variant called S1 Pro+ and it comes equipped with their in-house developed Bharat cells in the larger 5.3 kWh battery pack. Yes, Ola now has a 5.3 kWh battery pack and it dwarfs TVS’ 5.1 kWh battery pack and takes the crown of offering the biggest battery option in mainstream Indian electric scooter market.
    We have to start with the pricing. Ola S1 Pro+ 5.3 has been priced at Rs 1.8 lakh (Ex-sh, without subsidies). In Comparison, S1 Pro Gen 2 is priced at Rs 1,24,999, Ather’s 450 Apex costs a whopping Rs 2 lakh, TVS iQube ST 5.1 at Rs 1.85 lakh, Chetak’s new flagship 3501 at Rs 1.27 lakh and lastly, we have Hero Vida V2 Pro at Rs 1.25 lakh (all prices Ex-sh, without subsidies). S1 Pro Gen 2 continues to be on sale at discounted prices.
    Ola S1 Pro+ 5.3 kWh Vs Rivals
    It has to be noted that iQube ST 5.1 and 450 Apex are advertised with Rs 0 subsidies, while others get additional price reductions. S1 Pro+ Gen 3 remains the same as S1 Pro Gen in terms of dimensions and components but gets new elements. For starters, it now gets a chain drive instead of a belt drive and it gets the most powerful 13 kW (17.4 bhp) motor, while rival brands top out at 7 kW (9.4 bhp), which is less than half as powerful.
    Specs & Performance
    With this powerful motor, S1 Pro+ Gen 3 promises a 141 km/h top speed, which even most performant mainstream ICE scooter can’t achieve. 0-40 km/h sprint is pegged at 2.1s, while rival brands are almost a second slower. With the biggest ever 5.3 kWh battery, Ola is promising 320 km of range on a single charge, which is unheard of in electric scooter world and even in mainstream ICE scooter segment.
    Hero Vida V2 Pro is the only one here to offer a removable battery option for convenience. iQube ST 5.1 is the only one with a rear hub motor. None of these scooters offer 14-inch wheel options and top-out at 12 inches. With new Chetak 3501 variant, Bajaj has repositioned batteries on its new chassis, carving out a 35L under-seat storage, which is the largest in this segment.
    Ola S1 Pro+ 5.3 kWh Vs Rivals
    All contestants in the flagship electric scooter space offer a TFT touchscreen with Bluetooth connectivity and other features. Ola and Ather have a separate race in this aspect, stuffing their vehicles with as many features as possible. Bajaj has the smallest 5-inch screen in this comparison, but it still offers Map integration. Only TVS and Hero offer turn-by-turn navigation, which is a cut below the rivals.
    Features & Value
    Within this comparison, we can see that Ola’s past flagships, Chetak and Vida have affordable price tags, which go down further with subsidies. It is Ather 450 Apex which is by far the most expensive, while not offering the best of anything you can quantify on paper. However, Ather is all about experience and they claim to offer premium features and build a community of enthusiasts.
    TVS is also priced at a premium, but it comes from a mainstream 2W manufacturer, which is a novelty in this segment apart from Bajaj Chetak and Hero Vida. Ola S1 Pro+ 5.3, on the other hand, promises best-in-segment range, performance, top speed, features and experience. But the company has caught a bad rep for lack of after-sales services, reliability and quality control. The company is currently experiencing a downward sales trend, which the new Gen 3 products aim to reverse. More