Ola Electric will be new four-wheeler brand, so pricing strategy is key

Ola Electric has teased its first electric vehicles (EVs) for India’s market, but as it plans to launch its four-wheelers, the pricing strategy would be important because it will be a new car brand.

In fact, it recently planned to enter the four-wheeler market and had lined up ambitious plans but all these have been marred by the fire incidents of its scooters.

The Ola four-wheeler concept was
teased recently.

This prompted it to recall over 1,400 e-scooters and the company appointed experts to investigate the cause of the fire incidents in its e-scooters. 

 

In fact, Ola Electric’s chief executive officer (CEO) Bhavish Aggarwal said these incidents of fire would slowly become rare but can happen in the future also.

 

This statement may make prospective car buyers wary about Ola’s four-wheelers but some intelligent pricing could reverse this thought.

 

A short clip of the four-wheeler being teased was aired during the ‘Ola Customer Day’ event in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. The interesting thing is that Ola teased more than one electric car in the 30-second video clip.

Ola Electric’s upcoming electric vehicles have smart and futuristic looks with its neat front fascia and swooping roofline.

They come with twin U-shaped LED headlamps along with an LED light bar at the centre. The rear is equipped with slim and smart LED lights that stretch across the width of the car. Notably, there is an illuminated Ola logo also.

Ola Electric hasn't released details about its first electric car. But Aggarwal has confirmed that more information would be available on August 15 this year.

There is buzz that the concept of the new EV may be ready but it is not known at what stage the project is in.

It is also unclear when Ola’s four-wheeler EV will actually go into production. But sources say that it may be as early as 2023.

In fact, according to sources, the company is working on two EV models for India — an SUV and a sedan — which could be launched in late 2023 after Ola successfully deploys its battery plant.

If it delays beyond 2023 to roll out its EVs, Ola Electric could face some big-time competition from other players and it may lose its initial competitive edge.

Ola also must concentrate on perfecting its electric vehicles before it opts for mass production. The upcoming Ola EV is likely to be supported by a lithium-ion battery pack having a capacity of 60-80 kWh. It is likely to be aided by an impressively low aerodynamic coefficient and frontal area.

This battery may have a range of over 500 km on a single charge. That’s commendable, but nothing on this can be confirmed.

The EV may probably do from 0 to 100 km per hour in flat 7 seconds and the car is likely to have a top speed of 150 km an hour.

Ola Electric will be a new four-wheeler brand, and so, it must be judicious in its pricing to attract customers, who may initially shy away because of the slew of fire incidents involving the batteries of its two-wheeler EVs.