The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has denied reports of the government asking electric two-wheeler manufacturers not to launch new vehicles till the recent incidents of electric scooter fires are probed. According to several media reports, the manufacturers were informed in a meeting convened by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Monday to discuss the increasing incidents of fire in electric two-wheelers. All electric vehicle manufacturers have been asked to voluntarily recall entire batches of vehicles if any one of that batch was involved in a fire incident. Now the government has clarified on social media that the ministry has not given any such instruction.
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There have been several incidents of fire in electric scooters in the last one month. A batch of Jitendra EV’s e-scooters caught fire while waiting to be taken to their factory in Maharashtra.
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According to recent reports, electric vehicle manufacturers have been verbally asked not to launch new vehicles “until there is clarity about the causes of fires and the steps required to prevent them.” These media reports cited a government official for the development, who apparently happened to discuss the rising cases of fires in electric two-wheelers at a meeting of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
According to the government official cited in the report, “Manufacturers who have not had incidents of fire in electric two-wheelers have also been cautioned to take corrective action on their sold vehicles. To educate about charging safety and how to prevent fire incidents.”
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Last week, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had asked electric vehicle manufacturers to voluntarily recall defective electric two-wheelers following a series of fires that claimed some lives. Following the minister’s statement, electric vehicle manufacturers such as Ola Electric, Okinawa and Pure EV, all brands whose electric scooters have been involved in fire incidents, recalled around 7,000 electric two-wheelers that they had sold.
Read also: Fire in 20 electric scooters of Jitendra EV
A Pure EV electric scooter caught fire on a public road near Chennai in March 2022
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The instructions to recall the vehicles were reiterated during an interaction between EV manufacturers and senior road ministry officials on Monday. EV manufacturers were also reminded about the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act of India, which mandates the central government to forcibly recall and impose fines on erring manufacturers.
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While the government has not issued any directions to stop the launch of electric two-wheelers, the fact cannot be denied that there is a need to focus on quality and safety, especially on systems and processes and the new electric two-wheelers used in The focus is on battery quality. ,
Hero Electric CEO Sohinder Gill says that there should be checks, balances and solutions to ensure the safety of electric vehicles.
Read also: Pure EV recalls electric scooter after fire incident
“As an industry, at this critical juncture, we must work closely with policy makers to check, balance and create solutions to ensure utmost safety of EVs. OEMs should go back to the design boards and move on to the safety aspect. Must rethink and also strengthen stringent quality assurance from sourcing to production and deployment. Awareness of healthy battery usage is another important aspect and brands start educational campaigns for customers to ensure their safety Sohinder Gill, CEO, Hero Electric said.
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While India is moving ahead with the adoption of EVs, the recent unfortunate incidents of electric two-wheeler fires are likely to dent consumer sentiment, at least in the short term. In the longer term, with rising fuel prices, the EV segment is likely to see more action both in terms of new products, better engineering and innovative products.
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