Open-source dash platform for the Ola S1 Pro Gen 1: swappable themes, plugins, CAN reference and an AI-agent skill (early WIP)
I built an open dash SDK for the S1 Gen 1 (~70 MB vs ~640 MB stock), a community CAN reference, and an AI skill to build on them
TL;DR: Three open-source projects for Ola S1 Gen 1 tinkerers. A replacement dashboard platform anyone can theme and extend, a community reference of the scooter's CAN messages, and an AI-agent skill that helps you build on both. Early WIP, unofficial, not affiliated with Ola Electric.
1. Ola Dash SDK:
abhi245y/ola-dash-sdk
An alternative dashboard for the S1 Pro Gen 1 head unit (Android 10), built with Slint.
- Light: the stock dash uses ~640 MB of RAM on my scooter; this one ~70 MB. That leaves room for things like an Android Auto receiver.
- Swappable themes: a theme is a folder of .slintfiles plus a small theme.json, loaded at runtime. Three reference themes ship:
- Segment: a seven-segment LCD-style face, like a fuel pump readout. Unknown values show as unlit segments instead of a fake 0.
- Data Fields: a cycling-computer style grid.
- Default: a modern EV arc gauge.
- Covers the everyday states: riding, Park , easy park, charging, an Open Trunk button, media, plugin widgets and a navigation card.
- Themed lock screen: each theme can restyle the passcode keypad, but the app itself draws the keypad and handles the passcode. A theme never sees it.
- Plugins: separate Android apps can add widgets, now-playing info or navigation. They're display-only and you enable each one. [Experimental]
- Safety first: warnings (side stand, fall, faults, low battery) are always drawn by the app on top of any theme. Themes can move and restyle them but never hide them.
- The only vehicle action a theme can even request is opening the trunk, and the app allows that only when the scooter is unlocked, in Park and stopped.
- Design on your PC: a desktop simulator plays a fake ride (or park, charging, lock screen, alerts), so you can design themes without a scooter.
- It builds from a clean checkout and CI builds the APK. It talks to the scooter through our own clean-room interface definitions, not Ola's code.
2. Ola CAN Reference:
abhi245y/ola-can-reference
A versioned, evidence-based catalog of Gen 1 CAN messages, signals and enums, with a small decoder and templates for adding findings. Every entry says where the knowledge came from and how sure we are. Corrections and "this didn't work" results are welcome.
3. Ola Dev Skill:
abhi245y/ola-dev-skill
An AI-agent skill for Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and Cursor. It teaches your coding agent the SDK contract, the theme and plugin rules and the CAN reference, so you can say "make me a theme like X" or "build a plugin that shows Y" and get something that follows the safety rules. It re-syncs automatically when the SDK or CAN reference changes. Install instructions per agent are in its README.
Honest limits
- Gen 1 S1 Pro only so far, and it needs a rooted head unit.
- Debug builds, and things can change between commits (pre-1.0).
- The latest build (new themes, lock screen, trunk button) still has to be tested on the scooter. Bugs will be fixed as they turn up.
How you can help
- Designers: make a theme. The simulator runs on a normal PC; screenshots of ideas are welcome too.
- Android devs: plugins, e.g. maps/turn-by-turn, phone battery, weather, trip stats.
- Gen 2 / S1 X / S1 Air owners: logs and observations so other models can be supported.
- Researchers: CAN signals, units and corrections for the reference.
- Issues, ideas and PRs welcome on GitHub.
Related projects are listed in the SDK repo, including ola-s1-rea and Axiom. PRs to add yours are welcome.
Heads-up:
This is a developer kit, not a finished app. The SDK is a toolkit for people who build software: designers and developers use it to make dashboards, themes and plugins. If you just want a new dash on your scooter, please wait for the standalone dash app I'm building on top of this SDK. It'll come with a step-by-step install guide for everyday owners. Until then, using the SDK directly needs a rooted head unit and some comfort with a terminal.
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Open-source dash platform for the Ola S1 Pro Gen 1: swappable themes, plugins, CAN reference and an AI-agent skill (early WIP) I built an open dash SDK for the S1 Gen 1 (~70 MB vs ~640 MB stock), a community CAN reference, and an AI skill to build on them TL;DR: Three open-source projects for Ola S1 Gen 1 tinkerers. A replacement dashboard platform anyone can theme and extend, a community reference of the scooter's CAN messages, and an AI-agent skill that helps you build on both. Early WIP, unofficial, not affiliated with Ola Electric. 1. Ola Dash SDK: abhi245y/ola-dash-sdk An alternative dashboard for the S1 Pro Gen 1 head unit (Android 10), built with Slint. - Light: the stock dash uses ~640 MB of RAM on my scooter; this one ~70 MB. That leaves room for things like an Android Auto receiver. - Swappable themes: a theme is a folder of .slintfiles plus a small theme.json, loaded at runtime. Three reference themes ship: - Segment: a seven-segment LCD-style face, like a fuel pump readout. Unknown values show as unlit segments instead of a fake 0. - Data Fields: a cycling-computer style grid. - Default: a modern EV arc gauge. - Covers the everyday states: riding, Park , easy park, charging, an Open Trunk button, media, plugin widgets and a navigation card. - Themed lock screen: each theme can restyle the passcode keypad, but the app itself draws the keypad and handles the passcode. A theme never sees it. - Plugins: separate Android apps can add widgets, now-playing info or navigation. They're display-only and you enable each one. [Experimental] - Safety first: warnings (side stand, fall, faults, low battery) are always drawn by the app on top of any theme. Themes can move and restyle them but never hide them. - The only vehicle action a theme can even request is opening the trunk, and the app allows that only when the scooter is unlocked, in Park and stopped. - Design on your PC: a desktop simulator plays a fake ride (or park, charging, lock screen, alerts), so you can design themes without a scooter. - It builds from a clean checkout and CI builds the APK. It talks to the scooter through our own clean-room interface definitions, not Ola's code. 2. Ola CAN Reference: abhi245y/ola-can-reference A versioned, evidence-based catalog of Gen 1 CAN messages, signals and enums, with a small decoder and templates for adding findings. Every entry says where the knowledge came from and how sure we are. Corrections and "this didn't work" results are welcome. 3. Ola Dev Skill: abhi245y/ola-dev-skill An AI-agent skill for Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI and Cursor. It teaches your coding agent the SDK contract, the theme and plugin rules and the CAN reference, so you can say "make me a theme like X" or "build a plugin that shows Y" and get something that follows the safety rules. It re-syncs automatically when the SDK or CAN reference changes. Install instructions per agent are in its README. Honest limits - Gen 1 S1 Pro only so far, and it needs a rooted head unit. - Debug builds, and things can change between commits (pre-1.0). - The latest build (new themes, lock screen, trunk button) still has to be tested on the scooter. Bugs will be fixed as they turn up. How you can help - Designers: make a theme. The simulator runs on a normal PC; screenshots of ideas are welcome too. - Android devs: plugins, e.g. maps/turn-by-turn, phone battery, weather, trip stats. - Gen 2 / S1 X / S1 Air owners: logs and observations so other models can be supported. - Researchers: CAN signals, units and corrections for the reference. - Issues, ideas and PRs welcome on GitHub. Related projects are listed in the SDK repo, including ola-s1-rea and Axiom. PRs to add yours are welcome. Heads-up: This is a developer kit, not a finished app. The SDK is a toolkit for people who build software: designers and developers use it to make dashboards, themes and plugins. If you just want a new dash on your scooter, please wait for the standalone dash app I'm building on top of this SDK. It'll come with a step-by-step install guide for everyday owners. Until then, using the SDK directly needs a rooted head unit and some comfort with a terminal.