From range problems to malfunctioning vehicle management systems, customers are at their wits’ end. Is Ola doing a disservice to the electric revolution?
Rahul Tandon had a narrow escape. The 51-year-old entrepreneur from Pune was returning home in the afternoon of 14 February when his five-week-old Ola S1 Pro scooter came to a sudden stop in the middle of a busy road, without any warning. This is the stuff of nightmares that choosing an electric vehicle over a petrol two-wheeler is made of.
“I was almost hit by a car,” recalls Tandon. “When I left home for Manjri, about 12 km away, the scooter still had 90% charge and 120 km range left. Barely 1 km on the way back, the display went blank and the scooter just went dead. Just like that.”
Roadside assistance came three hours later and his scooter was towed away. Four days passed. Tandon had no communication about his scooter. His helmet, keys to his office and other things, were still in the boot. Finally, on 18 February, he called someone from the service centre.
“After multiple calls and some choicest abuses, they were finally able to locate
Pradip is a co-founder at The Morning Context and leads our newsletters vertical. He has previously worked at The Ken as a staff writer, at Mint as an assistant features editor and the Deccan Chronicle as a copy editor. He works with a slew of expert newsletter writers across subjects and domains. His own writing spans the gig economy, farmers caught in the crossfire of technology, global warming and parents trapped in the edtech wave. Some of his best stories have come at the intersection of technology and human endeavour.
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