Pure EV catching fire is fourth such incident in four days: A list of all recent EV fires

On March 26, an Ola S1 pro electric scooter caught fire in Pune within months of launch. While the issue is still under investigation, the reason is speculated to be a thermal runaway, where an exothermic reaction occurs inside a lithium-ion battery when it is damaged or short-circuited.

In just 31 seconds, the electric scooter -- parked on the roadside of a busy commercial area -- completely engulfed in fire. People watching the incident shot the video and uploaded it on social media. They also raised questions on the quality of the newly launched electric scooter.

Lithium-ion batteries (used in the Ola scooters), whether in electric vehicles or electronic devices, can catch fire if they have been improperly manufactured or damaged, or if the software that operates the battery is not designed correctly, according to a Reuters report.

SoftBank Group-backed Ola Electric said last week that it has also launched an investigation to find out what is causing the electric scooters to catch fire.

 
On March 28, the government deputed a team of independent experts to investigate two incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fire, CNBC-TV18 reported, quoting government sources.

The experts will travel to Vellore and Pune to probe whether structural or external factors have caused the fire in the Ola electric scooter and the Okinawa electric bike.

Notably, both two-wheelers had been tested and received type approvals before they were launched. The investigators will try to find out if there is a manufacturing defect that affected their operation.