Ola announces plans for electric motorcycle as it surpasses 100,000 scooters built in a year
Indian electric scooter manufacturer Ola Electric announced that the company plans to unveil an electric motorcycle to complement its growing electric scooter production.
Ola is known for its low-cost electric scooters that combine tech-forward design with high performance operation.
The company recently surpassed 100,000 units, despite production only beginning less than a year ago.
The company operates a massive electric vehicle production facility known as the FutureFactory, which is staffed and run by an entirely female workforce.
There, Ola currently pumps out electric scooters, but has its sights set on expanding to larger electric vehicles.
The first new electric vehicle currently in the works at Ola is an electric motorcycle, or perhaps a series of electric motorcycles. According to Autocar India, Ola’s founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal plans to eventually unveil electric motorbikes in three categories of mass-mark, mid-segment, and premium superbikes.
Aggarwal was quoted as saying:
I have studied the Rs 80,000 to Rs 10 lakh motorcycle market and such hyper segmentation in EVs is not needed. In bikes, there is a lot more room for bringing a new sphere of technology and we will be announcing this by the end of next year.
That timeline might need to be taken with a grain of salt. In mid-2021, Aggarwal also said that Ola would begin international exports of its electric scooters soon and that US exports would begin in early 2022. Here we are in November, and I don’t see any Ola S1 Pro scooters with US plates.
The company has even longer term plans for its full-size car, which Aggarwal expects to be unveiled in late 2024. Again, you probably shouldn’t use those dates to plan anything critical.
Ola seems to have its hands full as it is, even without a new electric motorcycle or electric car on its plate.
The company recently announced plans for a lower cost S1 Air electric scooter that would take the form factor of the company’s popular S1 and S1 Pro but detune the performance to reach a lower price point.
At INR 139,999 (approximately US $1,690), the Ola S1 Pro is already fairly priced in the market. But the new Ola S1 Air, which just launched in time for Diwali, was unveiled at an even more attractive promotional price of INR 79,999 (approximately US $960).
The Ola S1 Air comes with a smaller 4.5 kW motor and peaks at 85 km/h (53 mph), making it more of a city scooter that can be used for occasional excursions on faster urban roads.
The scooter’s maximum range is 100 km (62 miles), though that is measured in Eco mode. In practice, the real-world range will be somewhat shorter.
At well under a thousand US dollars, a lower-spec electric scooter could help Ola significantly expand its market with a more attractive entry-level price point.
As the company expands in both directions, offering a lower priced entry-level scooter while setting the stage for higher performance and costlier electric motorcycles (and eventually full-sized electric cars), Ola appears to be making progress towards Aggarwal’s goal of becoming a full-fledged electric vehicle maker.
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![This electric excavator has battery swap tech that lets it recharge in minutes [update]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/04/electric-excavator.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
UPDATE: telematics announcement.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
Telematics announcement at bauma
Earlier today, XCMG launched its next-generation Xrea Global Telematics Platform, integrating IoT, big data, cloud computing, and AI to enable what it’s caling, “seamless cross-border fleet management.”
The new telematics platform supports a dozen languages via PC and mobile interfaces, and offers real-time diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and data-driven optimization of both the vehicle and the vehicle’s batteries, empowering equipment managers and fleet operators to track fleets across town, or across time zones.
“XCMG remains committed to advancing engineering technology to empower a sustainable future. Our mission is to deliver efficient, intelligent, and eco-friendly lifecycle solutions for global clients,” said Mr. Yang Dongsheng, Chairman of XCMG Group and XCMG Machinery. “Today, 19% of our product portfolio comprises green innovations under our ‘Green Mountain’ new energy line, with full electrification across all series underway.”
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG; via PR Newswire.
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![A vast 600 MW Texas solar farm just hit a major milestone [update]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/01/Hornet-Solar-Texas-2.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Renewable developer Vesper Energy has cut the ribbon on Hornet Solar in Swisher County, Texas, one of the largest single-phase solar farms in the US.
As Electrek reported in January, the 600-megawatt (MW) Hornet Solar includes over 1.36 million modules covering more than 6 square miles. The project will contribute more than $100 million in new tax revenue to Swisher County and deliver 600 MWac of energy–enough to power 160,000 homes annually.
January 30, 2025: “The seamless coordination between our team and our EPC partner, Blattner, has enabled us to remain ahead of schedule and on budget while ensuring quality throughout the process,” said Juan Suarez, co-CEO of Irving-based Vesper Energy.
Hornet Solar uses bifacial solar panels mounted on a single-axis tracking system to maximize efficiency. The solar farm is connected to Oncor Electric’s transmission system within ERCOT and is contracted to provide power to four off-take partners through individual Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs).
The Hornet Solar project in the Texas Panhandle is on track to be fully online by spring 2025.
Texas is a utility-scale solar leader in the US, with a ranking of No. 2 and 37,713 MW currently installed. It’s projected to install 51,144 MW over the next five years and move into the No. 1 spot, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The total solar investment in the state is $45.2 billion.
On January 21, the SEIA, Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation (CTEI), Advanced Power Alliance (APA), and the Texas Solar + Storage Association (TSSA) reported that existing and expected utility-scale solar, wind, and battery storage projects will contribute over $20 billion in total tax revenue – and pay Texas landowners $29.5 billion – over the projects’ lifetimes.
Read more: Texas just became No 1 in the US for most utility-scale solar
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