Ola Electric is all set to kick off the eco revolution with the launch of its first Hypercharger. This charger is set to be the first of over 100,000 locations that Ola is claiming to setup over the next few years. These chargers will be set up in over 400 Indian cities. With the initial focus being on Tier 1 metro cities.
This was an important milestone for Ola to achieve. As charging networks will play a big part in getting people over their range anxiety. Which is still one of the biggest hurdles preventing people from adopting EV’s at scale. Especially dedicated fast chargers like this, which are a rare sight in India. Where most EV charging is being handled by third party vendors.
This launch was also vital for Ola’s credibility. Who initially launched their electric scooters in July this year. But are yet to begin test drives or deliveries in most of their expected markets. The company expects to start this in November sometime. Which is on par with their initial predictions.
But they still have a long way to go, as it will take a lot of effort to deliver on their promises. Promises which include setting up 100 chargers before they begin delivering vehicles. And up to 5000 chargers before the end of the year itself.
The company will need to meet these goals if they want to be taken seriously. Especially by the average Indian consumer, who is already skeptical of EV’s. Otherwise they might get the same kind of negative attention that Tesla always gets. For over promising things, but not delivering them on time.
This is why CEO Bhavish Aggarwal took it upon himself to personally unveil the charger. On his own twitter feed.
The first @OlaElectric Hypercharger goes live 🙂 charging up my S1 after the morning trip 👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/MZFOXgDDEK
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 23, 2021
Which was soon followed up a short video showing how easy it is to use.
Simple! pic.twitter.com/CSI9QQWibI
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) October 23, 2021
The charger itself look pretty sleek and assuming. Which matches the aesthetic of the scooters themselves. The company claims that the charger can go up to 12Kw. Which is enough to charge their scooter from 0-50% in just 18 minutes. That is almost 75kms of charge, which is more than enough for most city commutes.
Charging Stations Infrastructure in India for Electric Vehicles
Even though they still expect most customers to do their charging at home. Which is why they are including a 750w charger with the scooter itself. You can install it at your home and do most of your charging overnight.
But for those people who want the assurance of having a public fast charging network. You can expect the company to soon have lots of locations in most major metro cities. With Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad getting the most chargers in the initial phase. You can check about their charger plans for other cities on their website.
https://olaelectric.com/hyperchargernetwork
Which has a handy map of each big city they plan to launch in. That contains all the possible locations they are targeting for chargers. Once these networks are up and running, Ola will have a huge head start in the Indian EV market.
Since their charging technology seems a lot faster and better integrated. When compared to competitors like Aether. Who also have a limited number of charging facilities. And on top, their fast chargers are still stuck at around 3Kw output. Which seems a bit slow at this point.
In major metro cities, the company is hoping to push this advantage even further. With plans to build multi-story automated parking structures. That will charge your scooters while also storing them safely. These charging towers will help take the load off of regular street parking. Which is only expected to get worse with time. As more and more EV’s begin pouring into the market.
They will all need charging infrastructure, and parking space to sit in for hours. While their vehicles charge up. The government is hoping to mitigate these issues by providing subsides. Set under the FAME scheme to help accelerate EV adoption.
Ola itself is also set to benefit from these FAME II subsidies. As the Ola scooters themselves are pretty pricey propositions. With the S1 and S1 Pro costing Rs 99,999 and Rs 1,29,999, respectively.
But with the FAME II subsidies, you can expect to get them at almost half the price. Since the government has made e-scooters eligible for up to Rs. 15,000 off per kWh battery capacity. And with 2.95 kWh and 3.97 kWh respectively. These scooters can easily expect to get up to Rs 50,000 as government subsidies from the get go.
People in places like Delhi, Gujarat, and Maharashtra can expect even more discounts. As the local government in these regions are offering their own incentives for EV’s. Which makes this scooters a much better deal. Considering you already get a 3-year unlimited kms warranty from the company.
If all these facts have made you more interested in getting an Ola e-scooter yourself. Then you don’t have to wait much longer. As Diwali is just around the corner. The company will initially start selling the models in the top 10 major markets in India.
Customers will need to pay a Rs 20,000 advance to purchase the vehicle. With the rest of the payment required before shipment can commence. Depending on where you live, that second payment might not be as big as you expect.
We at Renewables India are looking forward to seeing how these new developments will change the EV market going forward. And are pretty excited about what this means for the health of the planet itself. Which is why we will keep reporting on all the latest developments. To make sure that you know where this eco revolution is heading towards next.
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