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Fire incidents: Govt says not asked EV makers to halt 2-wheelers production

Terming the media reports “unfounded” and “far from truth”, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) clarified in a tweet that all EV manufacturers have been asked to voluntarily recall entire batch of vehicles, even if a single unit of a particular batch gets involved in a fire incident.

ET Now Digital

Updated Apr 29, 2022, 12:43 IST

Image source: ET

New Delhi: The road transport ministry has denied reports of the Centre directing electric vehicle manufacturers not to launch two-wheelers till the recent EV fire incidents are investigated.

There were several media reports suggesting that the government communicated to EV manufacturers at a meeting on Monday to halt production of electric two-wheelers in view of the rising number of fire incidents in these vehicles.

Earlier, various media reports had said that the ministry held a meeting in the capital recently to discuss the rise in battery-related fires and it was decided there to stop the manufacturers from producing more electric two-wheelers amid public health concern.

The electric mobility sector is under scrutiny after a number of electric two-wheeler vehicles caught fire in recent times. These incidents have also prompted the government to seek revision in all the testing norms for batteries, battery management and cells.

The Centre is seriously looking into the matter as it has been pushing the industry through subsidies and regulatory eases for some time. It has also ordered a probe into how the vehicles caught fire abruptly. The Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are also trying to figure out what caused the fires.

Okinawa Autotech, an electric scooter maker, announced that it would recall 3,215 units of its Praise Pro scooters to assess and remedy any battery issues with immediate effect.

"The batteries will be checked for loose connectors or any damage and be repaired free of charge at any of the Okinawa authorised dealerships pan India," the automaker had said.

Ola Electric also said that it will recall 1,441 units of its electric two-wheelers due to reports of cars catching fire.

Electric vehicles are powered by lithium-ion batteries, of the kind used in cell-phones and smartwatches, which are generally considered to be efficient and light compared to their counterparts. However, they are prone to a fire risk, as seen in the case of the electric two-wheelers. All lithium-ion cells are imported into India as of now.

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