Ola chooses center-hub steering for its Diamondhead electric sportsbike

[kya100]

Indian EV giant Ola Electric is expanding its all-electric portfolio with new cruiser, adventure and nakedbike models – and a sleek supersport called the Diamondback that aspires to push center-hub steering back into the motorcycling conversation.

Ola's super-cheap, high-tech electric scooters are thoroughly dominating India's domestic electric motorcycle market, and the company is now kicking things up a gear with an overhauled Gen-2 scooter and four new futuristic full-size motorcycles.

Why should the rest of the world care? Well, on top of the fact that Ola's original S1 scooter is one of the most innovative and clever two-wheelers ever to hit the mass market at a super-affordable price, this company is hell-bent on world domination. To that end, it's building the world's largest motorcycle factory, capable of firing out a bike every two seconds, or up to 10 million units a year.

At yesterday CEO Bhavish Aggarwal announced a ground-up overhaul of the S1 Pro scooter, starting with a vastly simplified motor and cooling system, complete wth an integrated controller, capable of 11 kW (~15 hp) – a 30% increase over the original, enabling a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph).

A streamlined frame design helps cut part count by 11%, and weight by 6%, and this helps boost efficiency, increasing the "certified range"nearly 8% to 195 km (121 miles).

First up, a long, low-slung, chain-drive cruiser, apparently running girder-style forks. "This is a cruiser," says Aggarwal, by way of explanation. "Love long rides? Who likes long rides on bikes? Bombay to Goa, Bangalore to Chennai ... So this is our cruiser!"

Next, an adventure-focused machine – again in a chain drive, with a sharply angled beak, taller stance, crash bars, bark busters and a small screen. Aggarwal is even more florid in his description here, which I present in its entirety: "Who all likes adventure here? Is that it? [Grabs the cover] Let's take it off! You like the Adventure? This is, uh, the Adventure! There were more bikes in that video, let's have the next one."

Then, a sharply-styled Roadster is ridden onto the stage, very much in the vein of the ADV machine, but with a lower, more accessible, comfort-focused stance and an interesting set of chunky handlebar risers.

And finally, the Diamondhead sports machine. Here, Aggarwal is a little more forthcoming. "We've been very passionately working on this," he says. "This one will truly define the future of motorcycling. It'll be a generationally defining product. Even 10 years from now, 20 years from now, the whole world will remember this product, because it'll bring in a new EV revolution in motorbiking."

With that, out comes Ola's remarkable take on the supersport category, complete with a razor-sharp front fairing that extends back over the triple clamps to join with the "tank" and seat unit, leaving the handlebar risers poking out through slots in the sides. A tiny color dash is recessed into the hump, and slash-thin headlights and taillights mark the front and rear of a very clean design.




Source: Ola