Can Ola's e-bike break ICE's dominance over India's motorcycle market?

Ola is offering its mobikes at a price more attractive than its scooters by taking advantage of the lower bill of materials cost for mobikes, which have fewer panels than scooters

Last Thursday — it was Independence Day — Ola’s founder Bhavish Aggarwal addressed his 6,000-odd stakeholders at Ola Electric’s Gigafactory in Tamil Nadu. During the presentation, he threw one more challenge to the decades-old hierarchy in India’s two-wheeler industry by announcing a range of electric motorcycles under the Roadster brand.

Ola’s bikes straddle all the three important market segments: commuter, mid-market, and super premium. These segments are now fiefs of Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, and TVS.  

As the opening salvo, Ola has chosen aggressive pricing. At Rs 74,999, Roadster X, powered by a 2.5 KWH battery, is close to