Ola Electric continues to be plagued with various complaints over its electric scooter Ola S1 Pro.
In a new incident, one of the customers alleged that his son had an accident on March 26 due to a fault in an Ola Electric scooter where it accelerated on a speed breaker instead of slowing down, resulting in the vehicle going airborne and crashing down on the road.
The customer alleged on Twitter that his son had fractures in left hand and 16 stitches in right hand due to this accident, and he had to undergo surgery to save his left hand from life long disability. Moneycontrol could not independently verify these details.
Ola Electric, however, disputed these allegations and said there are no issues with the said scooter. On April 21, the company spokesperson redirected us to its response on Twitter that said "After thorough investigation, there is no issue with the scooter and we advice you to please ride safely"
On April 22, Ola Electric issued a more detailed statement stating that the data from their investigation "clearly shows that the rider was overspeeding throughout the night, and that he braked in panic, thereby losing control of the vehicle. There is nothing wrong with the vehicle."
The company also provided speed data for the incident for about 30 min till the accident time.
"Road safety is of paramount importance to us. We strongly recommend everyone to ride responsibly, adhere to speed limits and ensure you're wearing a helmet. We are glad to know that Mr. Balwant's son is recovering from this unfortunate accident and we're happy to extend our support in whichever way we can" the company said.
Ola Electric's scooter problems
Since deliveries started in December last year, Ola Electric has struggled with issues pertaining to the quality, delivery and the after-sale service of its scooters. Moneycontrol had reported some of these issues in December last year. An Ola Electric spokesperson said they have fixed these issues in subsequent software updates.
In recent weeks, scooters from Ola Electric, Pure EV, Okinawa Scooters and Jitendra Electric Vehicles have also gone up in flames, casting a shadow over the prospects of a nascent but fast-growing industry.
On March 28, the government deputed a team of experts to investigate the incidents. On April 7, it called technical teams of Ola Electric and Okinawa Scooter for an explanation on recent fires in their EVs.
All testing requirements for batteries, battery management, and cells are now being updated amid mounting worries about safety issues surrounding two-wheeler EVs owing to previous fire accidents. The government is in talks with companies involved in recent EV fires.
According to reports, these companies are also being instructed on the procedures that need to be taken to prevent future fires. It's also been stated that, if necessary, the government can provide EV manufacturers instructions on what steps they must do. At the manufacturer's end, the government is also modifying quality assurance and quality control criteria.
Note: The story has been updated with Ola Electric's statement.
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