Ola S1 Air

Overview

The Ola S1 Air is the Bangalore-based manufacturer’s electric scooter, positioned below the flagship S1 Pro. It resembles the S1 Pro, but is a completely different scooter underneath. Let’s find out how it performs in the real world:

In terms of design, the Ola S1 Air looks very similar to the S1 Pro as body panels look alike, except for the black one at the bottom along the entire bodywork. The e-scooter has a cool retro feel with its clean design and smooth lines. The twin-LED headlight, outlined by the large LED DRL, adds a nice touch to the overall look of the scooter. The signature Ola look continues to grab attention wherever it goes.

The biggest difference in the S1 Air is its hub motor. Unlike the S1 Pro, which has a mid-drive motor and a belt drive, the S1 Air opts for a simpler and less powerful hub motor. The electric scooter gets three riding modes: Eco, Normal, and Sport. However, Ola’s quickest ‘Hyper mode’ is missing on the S1 Air, but there's no need to worry because the Sport Mode provides adequate performance which is suitable for most situations. The Normal mode works well for city commuting, while the Eco mode, similar to the S1 Pro, feels sluggish. However, it could be useful if you're trying to get the maximum range from the scooter.

The S1 Air’s throttle calibration is a noticeable drawback as the throttle is jerky, especially in Sport mode. Moreover, even with the regenerative braking set to medium, it comes across as overly aggressive. The sensitivity of the negative throttle for engaging regen braking seems too high, leading to unintentional strong regen braking when attempting to reduce throttle input. The scooter also cuts power abruptly on applying either brakes, posing challenges when navigating through heavy traffic. However, a more significant issue with the throttle is that it continues to accelerate for about half-a-second after releasing it, which can be irritating and even potentially risky in certain situations.

The S1 Air gets a lighter and smaller 3kWh battery pack than the S1 Pro, nestled inside a flat floorboard. The floorboard becomes slightly more spacious because of this, providing enough room to easily carry a backpack. The flat floorboard design is very practical as the underseat storage capacity on the S1 Air has decreased by two litres compared to the S1 Pro. However, there is still plenty of storage space with the 34-litre boot.

Because of the smaller battery pack, the S1 Air gets a reduced range, as Ola claims an IDC (Indian Driving Cycle) range of 125km, in contrast to the 181km of the S1 Pro. Our real-world testing of the S1 Pro revealed that this figure is somewhat optimistic. So, you can expect the S1 Air to deliver around 100km of expected real-world range, which is still quite acceptable.

A major change in the S1 Air is the front suspension, moving from the single-sided arm in the S1 Pro to a conventional telescopic fork in the S1 Air. The e-scooter rides on 12-inch steel wheels and features drum brakes on both ends paired with CBS. The drum brakes perform reasonably well in regular situations but may experience noticeable fade during aggressive braking. Considering the S1 Air’s price, at least a disc brake at the front should’ve been given. At the rear, the angled monoshock has also been replaced with twin shock absorbers and the S1 Pro's single-sided cast aluminium swingarm has been switched to a box-section steel swingarm.

Additionally, the electric scooter is now 13kg lighter than the S1 Pro because of the smaller battery pack and redesigned chassis. This reduction significantly improves the S1 Air's agility around the turns. While we haven't conducted a comprehensive test, we expect the S1 Air to manoeuvre pretty easily through city traffic, making it a convenient option for urban commuting.

Riding on the smooth roads near the Ola Future Factory, we couldn't fully check how comfortable the S1 Air is with its updated suspension setup. But we noticed that the front handled bumps very well, especially on sharp speed breakers. The upright and relaxed riding position and the wide padded seat provide a comfortable riding experience. The handlebar is also positioned decently, providing enough room for taller riders as well.

The S1 Air closely mirrors many features of the S1 Pro, and its 7-inch touchscreen now runs on the same screen resolution. In terms of features, the S1 Air is fully loaded, offering a comprehensive list, including GPS-based navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, proximity unlock, music playback and control, built-in speakers, user profiles, riding modes and a Party mode. You can turn on the Party mode when the scooter is parked by tapping the disco ball icon, this mode syncs the scooter’s lights to blink with the music playing on its speakers. It also gets document storage, remote boot unlock, reverse mode, and the convenience of Over-The-Air (OTA) updates.

The Ola S1 Air can be a good electric scooter for commuting in the city. It also offers quite a lot of features for the price. But its inconsistent build quality stops us from recommending the S1 Air wholeheartedly.