Hunger Games

OLA S1 AIR

- Anant Pandey

Hunger makes you do things. Things, sometimes desperate, sometimes need of the hour. Whether it's about survival or satiation, hunger is a driving force. Sometimes, it makes you do things you didn't think were possible for you to do and sometimes, it binds us to a certain plan to quench it. And no, it is not just food that makes us feel hungry. Sometimes, it is also ambition and if you're aiming to end the ICE age in the Indian automotive industry, you ought to be hungry. Ola Electric is, indeed, hungry. Hungry to absolutely dominate the Indian market and in the similar wake, it has expanded and updated its S1 electric scooter lineup with the addition of S1 Pro Gen 2, S1 Air and S1 X. We got to spend some time with the middle child, the S1 Air and here's what we think of it:

The S1 Air is seeing many cost cutting measures being deployed but even from a distance, it is instantly recognizable as an Ola. In terms of visual cues, there are some new ones instead of the old. For instance, steel units have replaced alloys found on the S1 Pro and drum brakes have replaced discs at both ends. What has been introduced across the range is a set of telescopic forks, eliminating the monoshock found earlier. Even at the back, we get to see twin shocks, instead of a monoshock. Moreover, the floorboard is now flat instead of the spinal one found in the first generation of S1 Pro. In terms of outright appearance, the new grab rail and blacked-out body panels stand out and make the S1 Air look a little distinctive.