The Ola electric motorcycle is finally set to be unveiled on 15 August. Ola’s ambitious plans to foray into the world of electric motorcycles were announced a few years ago. There were a few concepts that were showcased in the past that showed the design direction that Ola is taking with the new motorcycles. Now, with the teaser of the first Ola electric motorcycle out on the interweb, here is what we can expect.
Distinct yet practical design
The Ola concepts that were showcased had a pretty radical design, with largely flat panels all around. The first bike that Ola will launch is likely a street naked motorcycle. This becomes evident when you look at the positioning of the LED headlight, the handlebar and the height of the “fuel tank” shrouds.
In another teaser video that was showcased, one could see the founder of Ola riding the said bike and the riding position was like that of a street naked.
Ola will be aiming for a sporty yet practical street naked to kick off its run in the electric motorcycle space.
Big battery and range
The company had also given the world a glimpse of the battery pack that is present in the bike. The battery pack appears to be large but not excessively so. This should have a positive bearing on the weight distribution and hence the handling of the bike.
That said, expect the Ola battery to be pretty energy dense as the company based on the recent reports of the company working on new age batteries. The range on offer should be well above 100km, perhaps in the range of 180-200km, in the real world. We cannot rule out the possibility of a 200-250km range and it’ll be interesting to see what Ola claims
Performance oriented
The Ola S1 Pro electric scooter is known for its performance and top speed. Expect similar if not better performance from the electric motorcycle as well. Expect to see the top speed in the range of 130-150kmph. The electric motor is likely a new unit and not what we’ve seen in the scooters. It is placed at the rear of the battery and it drives the front sprocket via a reduction gearbox.
Feature rich
Ola is known to throw a long list of features into its scooters and this could be the case with the electric motorcycle as well. Expect to see a colour TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity and navigation. Ola is likely to introduce Ola Maps on its bikes. Other features that are expected includes geo fencing, ride stats, ride modes, proximity lock and unlock.
Hardware
The bike is likely to employ a steel trellis frame, suspended by a conventional telescopic fork and a monoshock. Expect to see a disc brake at both ends of the bike. We could see Ola equip the bike with ABS.
Competition
The Ola electric motorcycle will go up against the Tork Kratos R and the Oben Rorr.
