Ola S1 is a 70-plus mph electric scooter that’s priced like a bicycle

Despite what a lot of hardcore motorcycle enthusiasts might tell you, scooters are cool. I mean, everyone loves a Vespa, right? So, what if you want a scooter that’s also an EV? Piaggio has you covered there too, with the Vespa Elettrica, but the issue is that, at around $7,500, it’s kind of expensive — but maybe there’s another option.

That option comes from a company called Ola and its S1 electric scooter, which the company debuted on Monday and was reported on by Electrek. It’s a cool-looking scooter, to be sure, but its other performance characteristics are what caught our interest. First, Ola claims the S1 scooter will do 55 mph, or 71 mph if you go for the more powerful S1 Pro version. That’s a ton of performance, especially when you consider the 75-mile range of the base version or 112-mile range of the Pro version.

The S1 also has some cool tech on board, like a 7-inch digital dash and its own in-house operating system, MoveOS, which provides all the basic dash functions you’d expect, plus navigation and music controls. Beyond that, it’s got all the usual scooter convenience, like a big under-seat storage bin that should easily swallow a helmet or two.

But wait, as they say — there’s more. The real crown jewel in the S1’s crown is its price. The base S1 will retail for just the equivalent of $1,350, and the Pro comes in at $1,748. Now, when I say “the equivalent of,” it’s because the price for the S1 is only listed in Indian rupees. That’s because, as far as we can tell, this thing is destined only for the Indian market, which is a bummer.

Motorcycles are scary for a lot of people, and getting Americans to look at them as real, viable options for daily transportation has always been kind of a losing battle because of that. Scooters, though, are much friendlier. They are more accessible for people of all sizes to ride, plus they’re comfortable, practical, economical and cute. Getting something affordable here, like the Ola S1, could help push people away from cars for around-town trips, which would be good for everyone.

We reached out to Ola to see if it had plans to export the scooter beyond India but didn’t hear back in time for publication.

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