It’s not every day that a scooter improves itself after a software update, but in the case of Ola Electric’s S1 Pro, that’s exactly what happened. Ola pushed a massive software update to the scooter called the Move OS 3 - the third version of its operating system - and that brought with it new features and updates. We take it out for a quick spin to find out what’s changed.
Anything New On Ola S1 Pro?
The Ola S1 Pro now has a bunch of new features. Firstly, and the one I found to be the best, is Advanced Regeneration. Quite simply, it’s when the electric motors of an EV spin the other way while you are slowing down the scooter either by getting off the throttle or applying the brakes – and thus, generate electricity. The electric motors, which are spinning in the opposite direction, send some of this electricity back to the battery.
Ola Electric has done a great job with the regen settings. You have modes Low, Normal, and High, and the High mode setting was good enough for pretty much everywhere we rode. After all, you want as much regen as possible without hindering the riding experience on an EV scooter, so we set it to the max and let it be. The deceleration is never startling and always feels like that of a traditional scooter coming to a stop due to engine braking.
You also get Moods and Profiles now. Moods let you change the look of the touchscreen and you get a new futuristic look for the screen, along with a more Vintage look. We liked the latter better. Profiles allow you to set up the scooter for your family members or friends. This way, they too can use the scooter without you having to share your own credentials with them. The proximity unlock feature is a godsend as you no longer need to enter your passcode every time you want to unlock the scooter. There’s also a hill-hold feature but that’s in Beta mode for now. You also get call alerts and lastly, there’s the Party mode. It’s a Tesla-like trick from Ola that syncs up the lights of the scooter to your music. Honestly, it’s a neat trick and does add a bit of show value to the Ola.
How Does The Ola S1 Pro Ride?
Honestly, nothing has changed. As Move OS 3 is a software update, it means that mechanically, the Ola S1 Pro remains the same. Starting with the good bits first, the Ola is impressively quick. The Hyper mode can quickly take you to the 116 km/h top speed. The Sport mode and Normal mode are quite decent as well when it comes to pace. The on-off throttle transition at slower speeds remains a problem and every time you flick open the throttle in slow-moving traffic, it takes a moment before you feel the scooter respond. It kind of makes getting into gaps a bit precarious, but once the motors are up to speed, the Ola just pulls and pulls.
Also Read: Ola S1 Pro, Track Test
The throttle problem almost dies down as you move into Hyper mode. The range of the Ola remains terrific and if you drive like a saint in Hyper mode (quite an oxymoron), you can get close to about 80kms of range, which is terrific for the power output.
The one thing that would have made the Ola a lot sweeter for me is the ride quality. Yes, it already has a nicely set up suspension which behaves well in turns, but on straight roads, it can feel a little jittery – especially the front end. When you are just hooning about on the Ola, it can feel like fun, but when you use it to commute to the office every day, a smoother experience would make a world of difference.
Verdict
The Ola S1 Pro with the Move OS 3 update hasn’t changed mechanically. You get some useful new features, but I would say this, the experience of using the scooter feels more refined now. And while it wasn’t a problem before, range anxiety can further take a back seat because of the Hypercharging feature that Ola has added to the scooter. We couldn’t try it due to a shortage of time around this time of the year, but if you have a Hypercharger on your way, it would only make things a lot merrier for you.
Also Read: Ola Electric inaugurates 14 new experience centres across 11 cities
So, the Ola S1 Pro, mechanically, remains what it was, a very good electric scooter. It now however gets some new features that are sure to wow you, and overall, the scooter has become a little easier to use.
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