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EV scooters catch fire: Nitin Gadkari warns of penalties, says guidelines coming
India has set a target of 80 per cent EV sales penetration for two-and three-wheelers, 70 per cent for commercial vehicles, 40 per cent for buses, and 30 per cent for private cars.
Taking cognisance of repeated incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fire, union transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the government will announce 'quality-centric' guidelines for manufacturers of electric vehicles (EVs) while also warning them of heavy penalties in case of negligence.
Gadkari said the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) had constituted an expert committee to examine EV manufacturing issues, especially those related to two-wheelers, and make recommendations to be added to the upcoming guidelines.
The minister also advised EV companies to act responsibly by identifying and recalling defective batches without waiting for orders or the guidelines from the ministry.
"Several mishaps involving electric two-wheelers have come to light in the last two months. It is most unfortunate some people have lost their lives and several have been injured. We have constituted an expert committee to enquire into these incidents and make recommendations on remedial steps. Based on the reports, we will issue necessary orders on the defaulting companies," Gadkari said in a series of tweets.
"Meanwhile, companies may take advance action to recall all defective batches of vehicles immediately. Our government is committed to ensure safety of each and every commuter."
A senior ministry official said the thermal efficiency of lithium-ion batteries will be thoroughly tested. Several officials at MoRTH acknowledged that existing regulations are not enough to cover certain technicalities of EVs in India as the current rules are mostly designed for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.
Having a set of quality-check regulations for manufacturing of EVs is necessary because India has set a target of 80 per cent EV sales penetration for two-and three-wheelers, 70 per cent for commercial vehicles, 40 per cent for buses, and 30 per cent for private cars.
In the last few weeks over a dozen electric two-wheelers have caught fire, including those manufactured by Ola Electric, Pure EV, Jitendra EV and Okinawa. At least three people have died in these incidents. Each company has also launched an internal investigation.
On Wednesday, an 80-year-old man died and four others in his family sustained burn injuries after the battery of an electric scooter exploded while being charged at their home in Telangana’s Nizamabad district.
Manufacturers Pure EV announced Thursday that it has recalled 2,000 vehicles belonging to models ETrance Plus and EPluto 7G. Another Pure EV two-wheeler caught fire on the outskirts of north Chennai in the Manjampakkam area on March 28.
Prior to this, there were incidents in Pune and Vellore involving electric two-wheelers made by Ola Electric and Okinawa Autotech catching fire. Okinawa Autotech recently announced it is recalling 3,215 units of its Praise Pro scooter to resolve battery related issues.
