Ola S1 Pro Gen 1 vs S1 Pro Gen 2 Electric Scooters - Differences Explained

We check out what makes the Gen 2 Ola S1 Pro different from the Gen 1 electric scooter

On 15 August 2023, Ola Electric launched the second generation of its most popular electric scooter, the S1 Pro. On the outside, they look almost identical, but there are a lot of crucial differences between the two. The new Ola S1 Pro is built on the company’s brand new Gen 2 platform, which is shared with other Ola models like the S1 Air and S1X as well. So how does the Ola S1 Pro Gen 2 improve upon the S1 Pro Gen 1?

Design changes

As mentioned earlier, the design of the Ola S1 Pro Gen 2 is almost identical to that of the S1 Pro Gen 1. It’s got the same overall shape, and its modern-retro design is actually quite pretty. At the front, both electric scooters have the same twin-pod LED headlight arrangement, surrounded by an oval LED DRL (Daytime Running Light). In the middle, you’ll see that the floorboard on the S1 Pro Gen 2 has become flat, while the Gen 1 has a spine running through it. We’ll get to why this change has happened a little later.

Around the back, the split aluminium pillion grab rails from the Gen 1 have been replaced with a single steel tube grab rail. This steel tube grab rail doesn’t look as premium as the split aluminium one, but it’s a lot sturdier, doesn’t move around when you put your weight on it and is a lot easier to hold as well. The full plastic cover around the belt drive (from motor to the rear wheel), has also been changed to a very minimal cover.

One major visual difference between the two is that the S1 Pro Gen 1 is available in 12 distinct bright colours, while the Gen 2 gets only five, more muted colours - Jet Black, Matt White, Stellar (blue), Midnight Blue and Amethyst (dark purple).

Mechanical changes

Underneath the skin are where the majority of the differences lie between these two generations of the S1 Pro. For the Gen 2, Ola has redesigned the chassis to be lighter and built with fewer parts, to keep costs down. Yet, Ola claims that this new chassis is stronger than before.

There are major changes to the suspension too. Ola’s signature single arm front suspension from the S1 Pro Gen 1, which the company had earlier claimed was 200 percent better than a conventional telescopic fork has been replaced with a telescopic fork on the Gen 2. Even the rear monoshock, which was horizontally mounted in the Gen 1, is now vertically mounted. And the single sided cast aluminium swingarm of the Gen 1 has been swapped out for a more conventional steel box section swingarm. Since we haven’t ridden the S1 Pro Gen 2 yet, we can’t comment on whether these changes have made the riding experience better or worse. But we can surely say that without the single sided front suspension and single sided swingarm of the Gen 1 showing off the lovely design of the 12-inch alloy wheels, the Gen 2 looks a lot less premium now.

The upsides here are that thanks to all the mechanical changes as well as changes to the battery and motor (which we’ll cover next), the S1 Pro Gen 2 has become 5kg lighter (116kg) than the Gen 1 (121kg), but the underseat storage has gone from 36 litres to 34 litres. Also, the seat height of the Gen 2, at 805mm, is 5mm taller than the Gen 1, while the ground clearance has reduced to 160mm - 5 mm less than that Gen 1.

Battery and Motor changes

The Ola S1 Pro Gen 2 has the same battery capacity of 4.0kWh as the Gen 1. But Ola has improved the packaging of the battery, making it lighter and allowing for a flat floorboard. Even the motor has been redesigned to make it more compact and lighter. But it still manages to produce 30 percent more peak power output than the motor from the Gen 1, giving the Gen 2 a quicker 0-40kmph acceleration of just 2.6 seconds (claimed) and a top speed of 120kmph vs 116kmph on the Gen 1.

Ola says that they’ve managed to optimise the whole electrical system to make it more efficient. So even though both Gen 1 and Gen 2 have the same battery capacity of 4.0kWh, the Gen 2 has 14km more of ARAI certified range - 195km. Ola claims that the real world range in normal mode for the S1 Pro Gen 2 will be 143km. Charging times remain the same for both Gen 1 and Gen 2 - 6.5 hours for a full charge from zero percent.

Features & Electronics changes

Features wise, the Ola S1 Pro Gen 1 and S1 Pro Gen 2 are identical. So it gets the same four riding modes - Eco, Normal, Sport and Hyper. There are other features too like music and call control, proximity unlock, cruise control, built-in speakers with party mode and many more. Of course, Ola will likely introduce even more features with the release of MoveOS 4.0, which is supposed to come out soon.

The only difference here between the Gen 1 and Gen 2 has to do with the 7 inch TFT touchscreen console. The resolution of this screen has been reduced from 1260 x 768 pixels on the Gen 1 to 800 x 480 pixels on the Gen 2. We experienced this screen on the Ola S1 Air during our first ride, and honestly we couldn’t observe much of a difference.

Should you buy the Ola S1 Pro Gen 1 now or wait for the Gen 2?

Honestly, if you’re in the market for the Ola S1 Pro, we recommend waiting until Ola begins deliveries of the S1 Pro Gen 2, and book the Gen 2. Yes, the Gen 2 doesn’t look as premium as the Gen 1, and you’d be paying about Rs 7,500 more as well, but the lower weight and flat floor board should make the Gen 2 a much more practical option. Also, in our opinion, the switch to more conventional suspension should make the Ola S1 Pro Gen 2 safer than the Gen 1 too.