Tamanna Inamdar: You are saying you are selling four scooters every second. Is this a rejection of traditional scooters and a huge push in favour of e-vehicles?
Varun Dubey: Definitely. When we opened for reservation on July 15 we saw a tremendous interest. We saw even more interest when we did the official launch on August 15.
Consumers have been telling us from the very start that they are ready for electric. Probably till now they did not have a product that they could pick.
It is very clear that India and the Indian consumers have made up their mind and they are very clear that they want to move to electric and reject petrol. I think the numbers are a very clear indicator of that.
What has really done the trick? Is it the way the launch was marketed?
There were products earlier too, but these were not fulfilling the consumers’ needs. Products that came before Ola S1 had compromises in terms of range, the pricing was not right, they did not have digital features. Indian consumers are very value conscious. More than cost conscious, they are actually value conscious. They did not feel it was a right product for them.
What we have done with Ola S1 in terms of performance, technology and design at a really attractive price, is what gives them the confidence. They are now able to fulfil that pent-up need for going electric.
The consumer always wants the best product. As long as you give them the right product at the right price, they will buy. That is what is happening here.
What are the waiting times going to be like, given the semi-conductor crunch and all?
The demand we are seeing is really unprecedented, and it is way beyond our expectations. We informed buyers clearly till when they can buy their S1 and S1 Pro scooters. We did that to make sure that the production timelines and the schedules are in sync, and people do not have to wait too long.
Depending on when people are booking, we are providing them very clear timelines on when they can expect the product to be delivered.
The semiconductor and electronic part situation is an evolving one. We are monitoring it closely. But currently, we are confident that we can fulfil what we have committed.
How bad will the semi-conductor crunch be for you?
We have only just started, so things are a bit simpler for us. A lot of the core technology is being done here locally. That has definitely helped us.
But obviously, there is a very apparent supply chain situation. Everybody is having to deal with that. We have factored that in the delivery schedules.
So what is the average wait time for an Ola e-scooter?
There is definitely a significant demand and we are dynamically allocating that. So it is hard for me to say what the wait time would be like. But we’ve said we are starting delivering in October, so people should start getting them very soon.
What do you make of the auto PLI that focuses on newer technologies? Do you expect a big boost to Ola’s e-scooter vision?
I do not think government writes policies for any one player; they do it for the industry. I think it is clear from not just this policy, but also from the past ones, that the government is very committed to electric. That is very encouraging to see. Every little bit helps.
As you know, we have already issued a call to arms to industry and consumers to get together and ensure that after 2025, no more petrol two wheelers. We hope more and more people join into it. It is great to see more and more such progressive initiatives from the government.
