Now your local mechanic garage can fix your Ola Electric Scooter

Electric Vehicles are on the rise in India – albeit slowly but steadily – and one of the major driving factors behind this rise is Electric two-wheelers, more specifically – Scooter, which accounts for 32% of the market share and 34% of the overall scooter market shared by electric Scooters.

In 2024, Ola Scooters accounted for 50% of the overall E-Scooters sales – making it a major player in the EV sector. Still, Ola’s success and rise to the top have been plagued with many technical and quality issues that have put a question mark on their products’ long-term ownership prospects.

Change Image   |   Delete Image

I wouldn’t go into the depth of horror stories that have befallen Ola customers from the get-go – but, from failing suspension parts to electrical glitches failing to start or run – making the scooters redundant, and to top it of delayed service times and uncertainties related to spare part have added an insult to injury- with time Ola has managed to curb the majority of those issues, however their inadequate after-sales service and inexperienced service centre, stands to be a major pain in the ownership cycle for many customers.

It seems a part of the problem may be solved – Bhavish Agarwal (CEO, Ola Labs) has recently announced that their products will be listed on the ONDC platform. Open Network For Digital Marketing (ONDC) is a Government-backed Digital e-commerce platform that connects various sellers, and distributors to various buyers across the nation.

This news was shared by the CEO of Ola Labs himself via a microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) – announcing the latest development in pursuit of the company’s ambition to increase its market reach and grow even further by utilising the Digital platform.

Change Image   |   Delete Image

What this move also does is allow independent parts dealers and independent mechanic shops to get access to the spare parts for Ola Electric’s products and get your Ola Electric vehicle fixed by a trusted technician, rather than dealing with Ola’s authorised service network that so far has proved to be futile.

Now, this will not solve all the issues that come with the ownership of an Ola Electric product – as many customers have rightfully pointed out – when the authorised service centres struggle to stock their shelves with necessary parts and more often than not fail to arrange one when needed – it would be rather interesting to see if listing the products on an e-commerce website would guarantee it won’t happen when an individual tries to get their hands on them on time.

And, then, there’s the subject of training the local technician and a trust factor that usually comes with experience with a relatively new technology that many local technicians are not yet well-versed in – which could command some time and a vetting period that will ensue.

Regardless, a great move by the company that is leading a new market in terms of market share in a category that still needs time to develop and adapt to the very uncanny environment and psychological barriers of the customer that are quite specific to India. Leading from the front, quite literally.

Change Image   |   Delete Image

Whether or not the fruits born by this move will be evident immediately – it is sure to motivate other manufacturers to take note and follow the footsteps of Ola Electric – which in the long term will not only help the EV market grow but also the customer will enjoy the benefits of a vast network of parts supply and competent independent workshops that are on par with company Authorised workshops, which will not only make the long term ownership of the EV stress-free but also economical – as it has constantly been advertised by the champions of Electric Vehicles. 

4