Ola electric auto-rickshaw undergoes secret testing for the first time

While the Ola electric auto-rickshaw has been spotted for the first time, there are no details on the launch timeline or powertrain yet

In the commercial segment, penetration of electric vehicles is higher in 3W electric autorickshaws and 3W freight vehicles. There are already many players in this segment, including mainstream manufacturers and startups. Ola Electric is making an entry in this segment with the upcoming Raahi, which was recently debuted in Bengaluru.

Ola electric auto rickshaw photographed

Electric mobility solutions provider Ola Electric has been venturing into more and more segments and categories since its inception. The company’s aggressive pricing strategy has worked wonders and it has quickly become a leader in the electric scooter segment.

The company intends to create a similar effect in other 2W and 3W categories. In this regard, we recently saw Ola launch its Roadster electric motorcycle series at a very competitive price. Prior to this, Ola had already patented the Roadster series in India, along with electric autorickshaws and electric 3W vans.

Now, the Ola Electric autorickshaw has been spotted testing secretly for the first time in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Design-wise, we can see that the Ola Electric has stayed true to the patented design and follows the same silhouette.

Unlike the patented design, this test vehicle does not have a door for the hidden cab. Instead, we can see that the driver has unrestricted access and there are doors on either side for the rear passengers. Future versions of this Ola Raahi electric three-wheeler may come with a hidden cab and air-conditioning options.

As far as design is concerned, the Ola Raahi is quite possibly the coolest auto three-wheeler ever launched in India. While TVS’ three-wheeler comes with LED headlights, Ola seems to be trying to outdo TVS with projector LED headlights and square-shaped LED daytime running lights. We can also see single-blade wipers.

Will this rickshaw be the first to feature a removable battery?

From the back, the Ola electric autorickshaw looks like any other three-wheeler sold in India. The wheels appear to be 10 inches in size and may come with tubeless tyres. The rear seating space appears to be enough to accommodate three passengers.

While the three-wheeler will most likely be called Ola Raahi, there is basically no information about the powertrain. The patented design of the removable battery module of Ola Electric was leaked a while ago. Such removable and replaceable batteries make a lot of sense in commercial vehicles to maximize uptime.

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