Ola Electric has been embroiled in a number of disputes, which have slightly harmed its reputation. Unsatisfactory after-sales service, vehicle raids and seizures, mass employee firings, and other issues are among the many controversies. Ola is now embroiled in another dispute, which has been uncovered by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Let’s see if Ola can withstand the scrutiny and get out of this tight situation.
Ola’s Numbers Game
Ola Electric was achieving sufficient sales results. However, in the February sales data, Ola included sales of forthcoming motorcycles and scooters as sold even before they were registered. The Ola Roadster X deliveries have yet to begin, although the Ola S1 Pro Gen 3 deliveries began in March. Typically, the sale is recorded once the scooter or bike has been registered. However, Ola informed the authorities that the brand classified the number of bookings as sales. The third-generation Ola scooter (10,866 units) and the Roadster X e-motorcycle (1395 units) were said to be confirmed orders.
Bhavish Aggarwal said that February sales totaled more than 25,000 units. However, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways discovered only 8600 units that were listed as sold on the official portal. On February 19, Ola mentioned that registration delays could occur due to current contract negotiations with two vendors. Nonetheless, the significant disparity between sales and registrations prompted the transportation ministry to seek clarification. On March 21, Ola released booking information, but did not specify whether the vehicles were delivered or paid to clients. The regulators requested that Ola update the statistics to only display automobiles that had been registered or invoiced.
Has Ola Committed Fraud?
Ola has not committed fraud as of now, and the brand is currently not under investigation. The Ministry will still look into the matter to check if any laws were broken or the sales numbers were deliberately inflated to mislead. Ola spokesperson claimed that the February sales were calculated according to the full payments received from their customers, and that they only consider the revenue after the registration and delivery of the vehicle have been completed. Oddly, Ola themselves never depicted sales figures based on “confirmed orders” or “full payments” for the months of January 2025 and March 2025.