'Coming soon': CEO Bhavish Aggarwal says Ola Electric's motorcycle launch to happen soon

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal recently announced that the company's highly anticipated electric motorcycle is set to launch soon. In a tweet, Aggarwal shared updates from his visit to Ola's manufacturing facilities, including the Futurefactory, where the motorcycle will be produced, and the Gigafactory, which is preparing for commercial battery production. He expressed excitement about the developments, alongside images of the factory and Ola's all-women assembly line.

This announcement comes at a time when Ola is facing significant scrutiny regarding its after-sales service. Comedian Kunal Kamra has been vocal about the company's customer service issues, sharing complaints from dissatisfied customers and criticising Ola's response to repair delays. Kamra even shared a deepfake video mocking Aggarwal's handling of customer complaints, keeping the spotlight on Ola's service challenges.

The feud between Kamra and Aggarwal began in early October when Kamra criticised Ola's response to the high volume of complaints. Aggarwal accused Kamra of defaming Ola and challenged him to spend a day at a service centre. The exchange gained attention on social media, with many users siding with Kamra. Kamra has continued to post customer complaints and joked about accepting Aggarwal's challenge, further highlighting the service issues.

Aggarwal's recent tweet appears to be an effort to refocus attention on Ola's growth plans. The Futurefactory, claimed to be the world's largest two-wheeler facility with an all-women workforce, is preparing to add an electric motorcycle to Ola's offerings. Meanwhile, the Gigafactory is moving closer to commercial battery production, an important step for Ola's EV supply chain control.

Despite these advancements, Ola's service record remains under regulatory scrutiny. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued a Show Cause Notice to Ola, questioning its customer service practices. Ola claims to have resolved 99.1 per cent of complaints filed through the CCPA, but the Department of Consumer Affairs is investigating this claim and may contact customers to verify their resolution.

As Ola prepares to launch new products and expand production, it faces the challenge of maintaining investor confidence while addressing customer dissatisfaction. While the updates on the electric motorcycle and Gigafactory are promising, Ola will need to improve its after-sales support to repair its public image.