Hi Saayon. The reason why I asked for a test drive is to check if all the promised features were there. In my limited time with the scooter, I could see that the navigation took time to load and the dark mode feature was not working. I left it to the experts- automotive journalists- to give the verdict on the scooter. Links are mentioned in the article and they have said that the scooter is a work in progress. What we have is a reliable set of sources who worked with the company and on the scooter, and they have given the right information to us in the past. Even before the reviews were out I got information from this set of sources that many of the promised features were not there. I asked Ola these questions and the company did not deny it. Whichever information I am not sure of, I validate with other independent sources. This is how journalists work.

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer

Hi Bharat. To your first question, yes. Most startups do work with aggressive timelines. But in Ola's case, this method has turned counter-productive as I mentioned in the article. Executives started lying to their managers to escape the sack. Which in turn affects the product and expected timelines. I am not sure about the second question. There will be processes in place. Some of the errors will only show up through rigorous testing, not on the factory floor. My sources are divided on whether enough testing has been done. Some believe EVs are different and problems can be solved through software updates. There are others who believe that they are not sure how the battery itself will behave in hotter conditions and that could be a hardware problem. All we know is that the quality assurance head was asked to leave last week. To your last question, yes. The company is likely to succeed given some time. Many believe we are already at the turning point because Ola's ambitions spooked others in the traditional automotive to accelerate their EV plans.

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer

Hi Amrit. Thanks for pointing it out. We regret making the mistake and it has been corrected.

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer

Cricket attracts the largest audience, Dharmaraju. Amid lockdown, when most people are stuck at home, cable TV's contribution to live cricket saw a rise and OTT's share declined. But it is still the prime property in streaming and got 6.8 million viewers for the opening match of the IPL. It will only increase as lockdown lifts and people would want to watch matches on the go. But Disney is not a company that is geared towards sports as such. It is doing some rejigs to its sports properties and how it would be telecasted. Hope this helps. https://www.insidesport.co/big-announcement-by-disney-ready-to-to-shut-down-100-cable-channels-including-star-sports-in-se-asia/

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer

Fair point, Abhinav! This could very well align with Flipkart's "service provider" role.

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer

Hi Neeraj, I agree that the "credibility issue" can be sorted and it is just a matter of time. Like you said the government should strike a balance in the regulations and that is why it is taking so long to draft. It should not be so stringent that would force the platforms to pack up and leave. That would be a huge loss of face for the government at a time when unemployment is high. The current model- fast & free delivery and products at cheap prices- won't be sustainable if the government forces platforms to exist as a pure marketplace. If the regulation is highly skewed towards retailers, then the losses will far outweigh the gains.

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer

Platforms' limited presence in the category could have stemmed from the fact that autos are a highly regulated category. With regulations looming large in the core cab business, might as well have a solid presence across all form factors.

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer

Hi Yatish, Kunal Khatter in the story said that the ticket size for a bike taxi is Rs 40 with an Rs 8 commission, whereas it is Rs 80 for an auto fare with Rs 16 commission. Combining that with the average distance in the chart would give you: Bike taxi- 40 minus 8= Rs 32/2.5= Rs 12.8 per kilomter Auto taxi- 80 minus 16= Rs 64/4= Rs 16 per kilometer The challenge in unit economics arises when competitors provide discounts and incentives to both drivers and riders. Ola barely had any competition pre-2019 which helped them make the category profitable.

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer

The correction has been made, Vibhor. Thanks for pointing it out.

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer

Thanks for pointing it out, Dwayne. It has been fixed.

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer

Hi Kuldeep. It looks highly unlikely that the scooter will be targeted at delivery personnel. According to senior-level sources, Ola Electric is pivoting from shared to personal mobility. There are already companies like Bounce that are making a delivery-specific electric scooter. These are slow-speed and low cost. Ola's scooter will not be suitable for delivery.

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer

My feeling is that pricing is going to be the key to the scooter's success. Both Vespa and Ather have that X factor in the scooter market. Ola's scooter also seems to have that, at least in appearance. A source quoted in the story did say that the primary reason the acquisition was made was because of the scooter's appearance. If Ola can offer similar or better specs compared to Ather and manage to undercut Ather and Vespa's price through scaling, then Ola may have a winner here. Europe and LATAM are going to be important markets for Ola for exports.

Pranav Balakrishnan The Ken, Staff writer