Ola S1 Z Launched at ₹79,999 With LFP Battery; Customers React to Founder’s Attempt to Troll Ather

Ola founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has officially launched the company's prevously announced but delayed electric scooter model, the Ola S1 Z, on social media, but the news was overshadowed by negative reactions to his attempt to promote it by disparaging a leading competitor. Although possibly meant in jest, the comment prompted a deluge of replies from unsatisfied customers, many of them with screenshots and photos documenting the issues they have been facing. Aggarwal has not publicly replied to any of them.

Ola S1 Z price and variants

The newly launched scooter model hits an attractive introductory starting price of ₹79,999 (ex-showroom, including PM E-Drive subsidy subject to eligibility), slotting in well below the Ola S1 X+ and S1 Pro+ as a mass-market offering. At this price, buyers will get a 3.1kWh battery, rated for 179km of range (IDC) per charge. Deliveries are slated to begin in December. There’s also a variant with a 5.1kWh battery and 301km rated range (IDC), listed at an introductory price of ₹99,999, with deliveries set to begin in March 2027.

Both can now be pre-booked with a payment of ₹999. They are available in Matcha Green, Splash Blue, Anthracite, and White.

Buyers will get a 3 year, 40,000 km standard warranty which can be extended to 8 years, 70,000 km. Financing and split payment offers are available.

Along with the launch news, Aggarwal also confirmed that the S1 Z will be the first new model sold through Ola’s new third-party dealership model. The first new branded showrooms will open on Janmashtami this year (September 4-5).

Ola S1 Z specifications and performance

Both variants have a top speed of 70kmph, with nominal motor power rated at 2.8kw and peak power rated at 3.9W.

The S1 Z is Ola’s first offering with a new in-house LFP 46160 “Bharat Cell” battery. According to Aggarwal, Ola’s own “Gigafactory” has been ramping up production, and this new battery format results in lower overall vehicle cost. The battery is said to be able to operate at temperatures ranging from -30ºC to 70ºC without any performance degradation.

The lower-capacity battery charges from zero to 80 percent in 5 hours, 42 minutes while the higher-capacity version takes 6 hours, 16 minutes. Both feature onboard chargers, but with different ratings: 500W and 750W respectively.

The bike offers an Eco mode and a Normal mode, but range figures have not yet been published. There’s no Sport Mode or Hyper Mode, as seen on Ola’s higher-end models.

Acceleration from zero to 40 kmph takes 4.6 seconds and 4.9 seconds for the two variants respectively, while zero to 60 kmph takes 9.6 seconds and 10.1 seconds respectively. This is likely due to the difference in weight between their batteries and chargers.

Gradeability is claimed to be 10.1° for the 3.1kWh variant and 9.7° for the 5.1kWh variant.

Both variants have a 34 litre boot, LED headlight, and LED taillight,

The Ola S1 Z measures 1900 mm long with a 1359 mm wheelbase, and is 820 mm wide and 1272 mm tall. The seat height is 791 mm, and it is 749 mm long. Ground clearance is 160 mm. The two variants weigh 123.2 kg and 132.7 kg respectively.

Front suspension is twin telescopic, while the rear gets monoshock suspension. Both wheels have drum brakes with a Combined Braking System (CBS). Both tyres are 90/90 - R12.

Ola S1 Z features

The S1 Z has a 3.4-inch digital instrument cluster and runs MoveOS 5, which supports OTA updates, ride stats and analytics, geofencing, and time limits. Riders will have side stand alerts, a reverse mode, vacation mode, advanced regeneration, live location tracking, an easy park feature, cruise control, predictive maintenance, and Ola Electric app integration. There’s also Bluetooth smartphone connectivity for navigation.

Social media backlash

In an apparent attempt to undercut the launch of the Ather Konarc scooter, Aggarwal posted “More than just a metal body with a fancy name”, also adding “The industry has always treated affordable scooters as stripped-down products”. The reaction online was swift, with customers suggesting that he should fix Ola’s own well-documented issues with reliability and after-sales service, rather than trolling his competitor.

“Deliveries in Dec, Return to service center in Jan”, one poster replied, while another said “First repair the scooters which are sitting in your workshops from months… no one will buy your ****** scooters anyway”.

Multiple disgruntled Ola customers posted screenshots of their service records and conversations with company representatives, with many saying their scooters had been lying at service centres for six months or longer. One showed a booking receipt with an estimated delivery date in May, saying he hasn’t received his scooter yet. Commenters also pointed out the volume of replies, urging Aggarwal to read them and respond, with one bluntly stating “Get your **** together before launching new models”.