Ola teases multiple electric cars ahead of August 15 unveiling
Unlike the flood of electric SUVs in the Indian market, at least one Ola car will be a sedan. Details, at the moment, are scarce, but reports suggest a large 70-80 kWh battery pack to power the new cars, take a look
In January this year, Ola announced that it was working on an electric car and even though the company had been taking a lot of flak for the delays plaguing its electric scooters, work seems to have moved forward. The company has released teasers of not one but three new electric cars. What’s more is that unlike the flood of electric SUVs that we are getting right now, there seems to be a sedan in the mix. At the Futurefactory customer event held on June 20, Ola teased three electric cars, giving us greater detail of what to expect at least in terms of the exterior design language. For the most part, Ola seems to be sticking to the minimalist yet futuristic design language of its electric S1 scooters. (Image: Ola)
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Take the front fascia, for example. All three cars have differently designed headlamp units. However, all three have a light bar that runs the width of the car. One of the teasers showcased a clean wraparound headlamp unit. The bonnet is low-slung and the Ola logo is lit up above the light bar. (Image: Ola)
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The second car’s bumpers are styled a lot more aggressively. ‘Ola’ is lit up under the light bar this time and the main headlamps are a set of twin clusters. Finally, the third car’s bumper seems to be more brawny than sleek. The Ola logo is set off to the side on the upper part of the bumper and the light bar is set fairly high up. (Image: Ola)
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Ola also teased the rear section of all three cars. Again, all of them feature a wraparound design but have different detailing. The first car’s bar is flanked by a slightly thicker tail lamp unit which twists its way to the rear fenders. The second car’s light bar is similar in design in that it touches the rear fenders, but the tail lamps are chunkier and broken off into three separate units on each side, very similar to the front. The third car has a light bar that connects C-shaped tail lamps that are very similar to the ones seen on the 10th-gen Honda Civic but are sleeker and wider than the Civic ones. Finally, bolstering the fact that there will be a sedan is a teaser that showcases a swooping roofline and curvy rear fenders. (Image: Ola)
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There isn’t much clarity on the specifications of the cars, nor are there any details of the interiors. However, according to an Autocar India report, Ola’s first electric car will be powered by a large 70-80 kWh battery pack. For reference, the Kia EV6 is powered by a 77 kWh battery with a claimed range of 528 km. On the budget end, the Tata Nexon EV Max is powered by a 40.5 kW battery pack and claims a range of 437 km. Going by this, we can expect ranges upwards of 500 km if the power output of Ola’s motor is similar to that of the Nexon. (Image: Ola)
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Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has confirmed that more details of a new car will be shared on August 15 but until then, it’s all guesstimates. According to Autocar’s report, the car will go into production sometime at the end of 2023. Prices, too, can be expected to be on the slightly higher side, considering the sedan body type and the large battery pack that will take up most of the car’s cost. We expect something around the Rs 20-25 lakh mark. (Image: Ola)
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Ola’s current EVs in the market are the S1 and the S1 Pro scooters. Back in January, when news of the electric car broke, Ola was being criticised because of delays in scooter deliveries. Recently, however, the S1 has managed to break into the top 10 best-selling scooters in India, becoming the only electric scooter to do so. The company sold 9,247 units of the S1 Pro in May, bagging the ninth position. (Image: Ola)
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