Ola S1 Pro Electric Scooter Catches Fire, Company Assures Investigation

An Ola S1 Pro was spotted catching fire while parked on a roadside. The incident, which has been shared through a video posted on social media, took place in Pune last week. Ola Electric has acknowledged that it was aware of the incident and was investigating the problem. The company also assured that it would take appropriate action once the investigation is over in the coming days. The Ola S1 Pro was launched as the company’s first electric scooter last year. It debuted alongside the regular Ola S1, though the company recently halted the production of the vanilla model.

The over half-a-minute video, which was initially posted by YouTube channel ElectricBikeWale and later shared across social media, showed the Ola S1 Pro in Midnight Blue colour electric scooter parked on the roadside, releasing some smoke before bursting into flames and eventually being engulfed in fire.

Exact reason behind the issue has not yet been defined. However, Ola Electric said in a press statement it had reached out to the affected user.

“We are aware of an incident in Pune that happened with one of our scooters and are investigating to understand the root cause and will share more updates in the next few days. We’re in constant touch with the customer who is absolutely safe,” the Bengaluru-based company said in its statement.

It also stated that it took the incident seriously and would take appropriate action and share more details in the coming days.

“Vehicle safety is of paramount importance at Ola and we are committed to the highest quality standards in our products,” the company said.

Additionally, Ola Electric Co-Founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal shared the same statement on Twitter and assured a fix.

The case of catching fire has created fear among customers who were looking to get the Ola S1 Pro. Some of them have already cancelled their orders, as per the tweets posted following the incident.

The Ola S1 Pro is not the only electric scooter that has caught fire and made headlines in India. Last year, ePluto by Hyderabad-based Pure EV was spotted bursting into flames in two different incidents that were shared in videos available online. The company responded to those instances and started an investigation.

In October, an electric scooter from Gurugram-based Okinawa Autotech was seen burning fiercely in a similar manner.

The incident of catching fire on an electric bike last week also took the lives of a 49-year-old man and his daughter in Vellore, as per a report by The Hindu. The exact brand of the e-bike has not yet been publicly revealed.

Citing the local police, the report says that the fire emerged due to an electrical short circuit. It caused smoke to engulf the entire house and suffocate the victims.

Cases of catching fire are likely to impact the growing space of electric scooters and bikes in the country.

According to a report by market research and consultancy firm JMK Research & Analytics, the market of electric two wheelers in the country would reach 30 lakh units in the next five years by witnessing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 84 percent from the financial year 2021 to 2026. The growth is believed to be fuelled by various drivers, including the strong push by the government and affordability.