Companies making e-scooters may soon be fined

The reply to a notice sent by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways almost a month ago comes after electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers gave it.

In the notice, the companies have been asked why they should not be penalized for the incident of fire in the scooter due to bad battery.

“He has replied (to the notice); We are taking action. The action cannot be too serious. We have to punish them, but this is a nascent industry. We must penalize them for their failure to comply; At the same time, we should not kill them,” the said officer said on condition of anonymity.

Electric two-wheelers are the future, he said, adding the fine will act as a deterrent to companies compromising on quality.

An investigation found that many of the batteries had unsafely connected cells and that many did not have venting mechanisms to dissipate heat in the event of overheating.

“The batteries must be connected in series. These people (EV makers) are connecting these in parallel as well. Parallel connections will cause serious problems. The battery management system is idle most of the time. The venting mechanism is absent in almost all, and most The connections in the batteries are also parallel,” the official said, outlining the issues found by a committee set up by the ministry to probe the matter.

In a ‘series’ arrangement of connecting battery cells, overheating of one cell will not affect the entire battery package, whereas in a ‘parallel’ connection, overheating of one battery cell can affect the entire battery pack and cause fire. Chances of getting hit may increase.

Amidst several incidents of fire, the government constituted two committees; One to investigate fire incidents and the other to recommend battery test criteria. Both the committees have completed their work.

The official said the government has asked companies to stop selling vehicles with defective batteries and discard such batteries. As a result, some companies had to defer vehicle launches as they would be allowed in the market only with safe battery sets, he said.

The series of fires raised concerns about the safety of electric vehicles and whether Indian e-scooter manufacturers had marketed their products without adequate quality and safety checks in local conditions.

The events also worried the government, which has made ambitious plans for the EV sector and introduced incentives to boost the production and adoption of EVs.

Last month, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told Parliament that his ministry had issued notices to top officials of electric two-wheeler manufacturers whose scooters caught fire, and further action would be taken after receiving their replies.

In April, Gadkari announced that the government would issue quality-focused guidelines for electric vehicles. “If a company is found to be negligent in its procedures, heavy fines will be imposed, and all defective vehicles will be ordered to be recalled,” he had said in a series of posts on Twitter.

In a written reply to a question by an MP on what action has been taken by the government against EV companies, the minister said compliance of the standards (Rule 127A), suspension orders (Rule 127A) in the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 Provisions not to be included. Rule 127B) and Defective Motor Vehicles and Recall Notices (Rule 127C).

“Section 182A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 provides for punishment for offenses relating to manufacture, maintenance, sale and alteration of motor vehicles and components,” he said.

Following the incidents and the government’s investigation, some companies have recalled the scooters. Data provided by the Ministry of Heavy Industries in Parliament shows that Okinawa recalled 3,215 units, Pure EV 2,000 units and Ola Electric 1,441 units.

Queries sent to the spokespersons of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ola Electric and Pure EV remained unanswered till press time. However, representatives from Okinawa could not be contacted.

first article