Ola Roadster X Plus Goes Up To 501 Km On One Charge! Would You Buy A Splendor Now?

Other than Bhavish Aggarwal’s awkward mocking of petrol-powered motorcycles and everything the motorcycling community loves in general, Ola’s latest launch event packed a lot of exciting new announcements. The Roadster X and Roadster X Plus motorcycles will lead Ola into the commuter motorcycle segment and try to grab a share of a market dominated by Hero, Honda, Bajaj and TVS. 

The Roadster X is Ola’s weapon against the mass-centric 100 cc motorcycles that sacrifice everything in pursuit of top-notch fuel economy. The Roadster X+, on the other hand, goes up against the mildly aspirational 125 cc class of motorcycles with a lot more power to play with. The headline-grabbing feature, however, is the Roadster X Plus in its top-spec trim promising a range of up to 501 km! For the lack of a better word, that’s nuts!

On paper then, the Roadster X and Roadster X Plus motorcycles have everything they need to dominate the segment. But is that truly the case? After all, you can’t trust blindly on any claim made by Ola Electric, if the history is anything to go by.

Ola Roadster X goes up against the mighty Splendor

It is hard to dethrone the Hero Splendor in the entry-level motorcycle segment considering the immaculate reputation it has earned over the decades for reliability, practicality and fuel efficiency. Ola, hence, decided to enhance the Splendor’s formula in an electric avatar – giving good range while adding a modern design and advanced software interface. 

The Roadster X looks highly different from other 100 cc bikes – the tank section fused with the side panels shaped aerodynamically to aid efficiency, all of which falls in line with the motorcycle’s headlight section. The rear, though, is reminiscent of the TVS Raider 125 and Ola could have done more here. The instrumentation borrows a 4.3-inch cluster LCD display that shows all crucial figures like range, drive mode, power, speed and mobile device connectivity status. 

As far as performance is concerned, there are three variants to choose from. The base variant comes with a 2.5 kWh battery promising up to 144 km of range, a top speed of 105 kph, a 0-40 kph time of 3.4 seconds and a price tag of INR 89,999. The mid-tier variant, which costs INR 99,999, offers a bigger 3.5 kWh battery pack promising up to 140 km, a top speed of 118 kph and a 0-40 kph time of 3.1 seconds. The top-spec variant, which costs INR 109,999, offers a 4.5 kWh battery pack promising a range of up to 196 km, a top speed of 118 kph and a 0-40 kph time of 3.1 seconds. 

Across the variants, you get up to 7 kW of peak power, drum brakes with single-channel ABS on the front wheel, cruise control and skid control, reverse mode, three ride modes and all-LED headlamps. Ola says that the first deliveries are likely to start by 15th March, 2025. 

Ola Roadster X Plus takes on the Raider 125, Xtreme 125R

The Roadster X Plus shares the same design and some of the core features as the vanilla Roadster X but varies in performance. The peak power rating goes up to 11 kW and Ola throws in a front disc brake with single-channel ABS. The standard model with a 4.5 kWh battery pack promises a range of up to 252 km, a top speed of 125 kph and a 0-40 kph time of 2.7 seconds, accompanying a sticker price of INR 124,999. 

The top-spec variant, however, steals the limelight with its 9.1 kWh battery pack promises a maximum range of 501 km while retaining the top speed of 125 kph and the same acceleration figures! The price for this record-breaking package? INR 174,999.

To put it in retrospect, petrol-powered 125 cc motorcycles don't offer this much range on a full tank. However, they cost a lot less and the performance is on par (or even more in some cases) with what Ola is promising. The Hero Xtreme 125R and TVS Raider 125 currently dominate this segment.

Should you be going for Ola motorcycles?

Unless the motorcycles reach the hands of critics and consumers, it is a tough question to answer. Given Ola Electric’s track record, it is safe to hold on and wait for feedback on the product’s reliability as well as the promised range. On paper, the Roadster X seems to be great value for commuters if there’s an electric charging facility available at your home. 

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