New Delhi: Nearly a month since a road accident involving an Ola S1 Pro scooter took place in Guwahati, prompting the vehicle owner’s claim that the two-wheeler had defective brakes, the company clarified Thursday that the “rider was overspeeding and had lost control of the vehicle”.
On 26 March, the rider of a newly-purchased Ola electric scooter met with an accident. His father, Balwant Singh, alleged the incident happened due to a “fault in regenerative braking” of the vehicle. He said the new Ola S1 Pro – instead of slowing down when the speed breaker was pressed – accelerated, sending so much torque that the scooter was airborne.
The scooter went airborne crashing and skidding. My son was severely hospitalised on 26th March where he had fractures in left hand and 16 stitches in right hand due to fault in ola S1 Pro @bhash @OlaElectric pic.twitter.com/nwjTDv7SBA
— BALWANT SINGH (@BALWANT1962) April 15, 2022
Singh shared pictures of his injured son, saying he had fractures in his left hand and got 16 stitches. His son had to be flown to Mumbai for surgery “to save his left hand from lifelong disability”, the father said.
In its statement, Ola Electric revealed the speeding data of the vehicle. It claimed the man reached a top speed of 115 kmph around 11:45 pm. The accident took place shortly after midnight.
“Our data shows all three brakes being applied together – front brake, rear brake and regenerative brake (reverse throttle) likely due to an obstruction on the road. This brought the speed down from 80 kmph to 0 kmph in 3 seconds. In the data, no sudden torque or acceleration is observed after braking, contrary to customer claims. The vehicle is detected by our sensors to have fallen on the right side,” the statement read.
Ola scooter mishap in Pune
An Ola S1 pro electric scooter had caught fire in Pune’s Dhanori area on 27 March, prompting the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to order a probe into the incident.
In a video, the electric scooter, parked on the roadside of a busy commercial area, was seen completely engulfed in fire.
Also read: Why electric scooters are catching fire & should this really make you worry about EVs
Source: The Print
