We already know how to troubleshoot mechanical issues. The challenge though, is to know how to troubleshoot software issues.
BHPian deep_bang recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
After several test rides, got an Ola S1 as a beater 2-wheeler for local grocery runs as well as to get my wife mobility on 2 wheels. An added benefit was my son starts riding whenever he gets a license.
There are multiple reviews and so I will not focus on that. Instead, this thread is meant to be a problems/solutions thread. We already know how to troubleshoot mechanical issues. The challenge though is to know how to troubleshoot software issues. This is even more so as software is a black box to us.
Anyway, here are some issues I faced.
1. GPS shows as ‘searching for gps’ forever: The first time I had this, I took it to the Ola experience centre and they asked me to come after 500 km are done. I could not fathom what the need for 500 km was, but they mentioned something related to cloud enablement. Still could not understand what it means. Anyway, I did not have the time or energy to fight that battle. After 500kms were done, took the scooter to the Ola experience centre and they did something (all software only) and GPS did start working.
However, after a few days, it’s back to the same issue again. I rebooted the Ola (hold the power and reverse buttons together for several seconds till the indicator lights blink). After this, the GPS started to work again. Don’t know when it will work.
2. Display hang: the display was hung even as I was riding the vehicle. This was accompanied by a ‘Glugg’ sound which seemed to indicate something bad happened and the UI hung subsequently. It did recover again to get into the same issue after some time. The good part was that the scooter was running fine and there was no danger of the motor switching off or anything like that. However, using indicators was hard as I could not know if the indicator was on or off as the display was frozen. Also, After parking and coming back to it hours later, the display was still frozen with the problem of unlocking (as unlocking is from the display). Had to resort to using the phone app to unlock.
Rebooting the scooter seems to have solved the issue.
Others, please add your problems and let’s see if we can together compile a list of solutions. Maybe Ola also can benefit from this thread and see if they can improve the quality of the firmware.
3. Boot lock/unlock: have faced this several times when the boot lock/unlock status on the display does not match that of reality. In one case the boot was locked but showed as unlocked on the display. So since it’s already unlocked as the software would think, could not ‘unlock’ it again. Finally used the app to unlock the boot.
The point is, it’s important to have the app with you along with the scooter.
Keyword: Ola S1 electric scooter ownership: 3 software issues faced