EV Scooters Catch Fire: Gadkari Sets Expert Committee & Warns About Heavy Penalties

In addition to that, the minister on Thursday assembled an expert committee to look into the recent incidents involving electric two-wheelers catching fire and urged the committee to come up with recommendations on remedial steps.

Though there have been a few incidents in India related to faulty electric scooters, the matter escalated when an elderly man and his daughter died after an electric scooter exploded.

Speaking about the matter, Mr Gadkari tweeted, "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. We will soon issue quality-centric guidelines for electric vehicles."

In wake of these incidents, Okinawa Autotech stated that the company is recalling 3,215 units of its Praise Pro electric scooter to fix any underlying issue related to batteries.

Pure EV, also announced its decision to recall 2,000 of its electric scooters after one of its electric scooters exploded while being charged. The explosion of the battery has resulted in the death of an 80-year old man.

In the last few weeks alone, more than a dozen incidents involving electric two-wheelers have been recorded across the country. These electric scooters in the incidents have either caught fire or emitted toxic smoke.

These electric scooters involved in such incidents belong to companies such as Ola Electric, Pure EV, Okinawa and Jitendra EV. Many people have even blamed extreme summer heat as the cause of these incidents.

However, it must be said that the EV makers also hold a responsibility towards these incidents as many people have started to report similar incidents and it gives rise to the suspicion about the testing standards set by these startup EV manufacturers.

These EV startup manufacturers must also note that the automobile sector has set a very high bar in terms of the ethical standards in the industry and each established manufacturer has contributed something to make every vehicle journey safer.

In a series of tweets, Mr Gadkari also said, "We will soon issue quality-centric guidelines for Electric Vehicles. If any company is found negligent in their processes, a heavy penalty will be imposed and a recall of all defective vehicles will be ordered".

Thoughts About Electric Scooters

Though electric scooters provide a very economical and pollution-free commute, recent incidents have pushed people to think beyond 'Range Anxiety'. In addition to that, in a race to assert market dominance and generate more profit, startup EV manufacturers may have wandered away from the general quality and testing standards set by the automobile industry.

In a wake of these consecutive incidents involving electric scooters, it is shameful that the government has to step in to make and govern new standards for EV manufacturing.