Watch: Angry customer sets Ola electric scooter showroom on fire

Watch: Angry customer sets Ola electric scooter showroom on fire

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By: HT Auto Desk
, updated on: 11 September 2024, 23:33 pm

  • An Ola electric scooter owner allegedly set the company's showroom in Karnataka on fire after the company failed to fix issues with his EV.
Firefighters dousing fire at Ola Electric showroom in Kalaburagi. (PTI)

An Ola Electric scooter customer in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, allegedly set the company's showroom on fire after problems with his new electric scooter were not resolved. A video of the burning showroom has gone viral on social media, sparking a debate over the move as well as previous allegations against Ola Electric's allegedly shoddy service quality.

Mohammed Nadeem, who is facing arson charges, bought an Ola electric scooter in August. The electric scooter reportedly started developing multiple problems soon and the issues persisted even after Nadeem took it to the showroom for repairs. Though the exact nature of the problems with the scooter is not yet known, news agencies reported that Nadeem had an argument with showroom officials on Tuesday evening. “The servicing request was not good, he went multiple times,” Kalaburagi police commissioner told news agency PTI. “When he went yesterday (Tuesday), he had petrol with him and he set six bikes on fire.”

Also read: “If… then we are the 4th largest EV company in the world”: Ola Electric trolled for tall claim

There is no news of any casualties in the fire, but the showroom has suffered heavy damage. This becomes clear from the video viral on social media.

Netizens have come out to criticise such an extreme – and illegal – act, and have highlighted that there were still other ways for Ola Electric’s sales and service representatives to resolve the issue with this particular electric scooter unit. However, many have also pointed out once again that Ola Electric’s after-sales network needs to be far more efficient than it currently is.

Ola reacts to the fire incident

Late Wednesday evening, Ola Electric reacted to the fire incident in Kalaburagi by strongly condemning it. “Yesterday, a fire broke out at one of our brand stores in Kalaburagi, Karnataka,” the company said in a message. “The perpetrator of this violent act has been identified and an FIR has been filed against the said person at the concerned police station. He has been arrested and investigation is underway. Apart from the FIR, we at Ola strongly condemn such unlawful acts and will take all necessary legal measures to ensure appropriate and strict action is taken in this matter and such incidents do not happen again.”

Take a look at the upcoming EV bikes in India.

First Publication Date: September 11, 2024, 18:59 PM IST

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Soon any shop will be able to sell Ola EV. Bhavish Aggarwal announces ONDC partnership

Soon any shop will be able to sell Ola EV. Bhavish Aggarwal announces ONDC partnership

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By: HT Auto Desk
, updated on: August 30, 2024, 17:47 pm

  • Now any store will be able to sell Ola electric vehicles beyond the 800 experience centers, whose products will now be listed on the ONDC platform.
Ola Electric will sell its EV lineup as well as parts on the ONDC platform, making it easier for any shop to sell its e-scooters and for customers to get parts in a convenient manner.

Ola Electric co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal has announced that the company has partnered with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). Ola Electric's products including spare parts and electric vehicles will be available on the ONDC network, allowing customers to get spare parts directly through the open-source platform.

Ola electric scooter now available on ONDC

Aggarwal claimed that customers will be able to get their vehicle repaired at local garages instead of the company's service stations. Any shop will be able to sell Ola electric vehicles apart from the company's 800 experience centers, as the products are now listed on the ONDC platform.

Also read: Ola Electric's EV market share drops massively, falls to one-third in August.

Announcing the partnership in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Bhavish Aggarwal wrote, “Starting next week, all @OlaElectric products will be available on ONDC. @ONDC_Official @KoshyTK ONDC is the future of commerce (smiley emoji).”

He further added in the post, “This also means that now anyone who has a store can sell @OlaElectric products (smile emoji). Till now we had more than 800 company-owned stores. Now instead of adding some more stores or “exclusive dealerships”, anyone in India will be able to sell Ola scooters.”

Starting next week, Ola Electric's scooter range which includes the S1 X, S1 Air and S1 Pro will be available on ONDC. The move will increase the brand's market reach and make it easier for customers to buy electric scooters. Moreover, the brand has lost its market share in the last month. The company's upcoming electric motorcycles should also be available on this platform in the future.

Also read: Not relevant for India? Ola Electric officially shelves electric car project

Ola Electric introduced the new Roadster series at its annual event Sankalp 2024. The company launched the Roadster X, followed by the Roadster and Roadster Pro. Prices start at Starting at ₹ 74,999 (ex-showroom). While the deliveries of the Roadster X are scheduled to take place around November this year, the deliveries of the Roadster Pro will take about a year and a half. Meanwhile, Ola Electric has postponed its plans to introduce an electric car for the Indian market.

Take a look at the upcoming EV bikes in India.

First Publication Date: 30 August 2024, 17:46 PM IST



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