EV fire case: All testing norms for batteries, battery management and cells are being revised

Screen grab from a widely shared video of a PureEV scooter catching fire in Chennai in late March 2022. More such videos featuring electric scooters by different companies have emerged in the last few weeks. (Image credit: Screengrab from video tweeted by @sumantbanerji)

Amid growing concerns over safety issues around two-wheeler Electric Vehicles (EVs) owing to multiple fire incidents recently, all testing norms for batteries, battery management, and cells are being revised, reported CNBC-TV18, citing sources.

According to the news channel, the government is holding a dialogue with companies connected with recent EV fires.

Ola, Okinawa, Jitendra Electric, and Pure EV are being advised on steps that need to be taken to prevent such fires in the future, sources said.

It is also reported that, if necessary, the government can issue directions to EV makers on steps that have to be complied with. The government is also revising standards for quality assurance and quality control at the manufacturers' end.

The electric vehicle industry is facing the heat, with e-scooters from companies such as Okinawa Scooters, Ola Electric, Pure EV, and Jitendra Electric Vehicles going up in flames in recent weeks.

In the first incident, on March 26, a new blue-coloured Ola S1 Pro electric scooter caught fire while parked on the side of the road in Pune. The video, which showed smoke emerging from the battery compartment, went viral on the internet.

In the second tragic incident in the wee hours on March 26, a father and daughter were killed when an unknown model Okinawa electric scooter caught fire in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

Days after these two incidents, on March 30, an electric scooter built by PureEV caught fire in Chennai.

Forty electric scooters from Jitendra Electric Vehicles (EV) caught fire after being loaded in a transport container in Nashik on April 11. A government probe has been ordered and experts have been roped in to be part of the probe which will look into the causes of the fire in the electric scooters.

In the recent incident, an Okinawa Autotech dealership burnt down to ashes in Tamil Nadu owing to a reported fire in an e-scooter belonging to the company. The electric two-wheeler manufacturer recalled 3,215 units of its 'Praise Pro' scooters on April 16, just before the dealership was engulfed in flames in Tamil Nadu.

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.

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant last week (April 13) asked EV original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to voluntarily recall batches involved in the EV fire incidents. Earlier, Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, had told the Lok Sabha, that the EV fire cases had said that the incidents may have taken place due to higher temperatures.

READ: Is the scorching summer heat responsible for battery fires in electric scooters?

The fire incidents were a wake-up call for the industry to get its act together, Naveen Munjal, managing director of Hero Electric, the country’s largest electric two-wheeler maker, told Moneycontrol recently.

In light of the recent incidents involving scooters from prominent EV brands bursting into flames, the subject of EV safety has come under the spotlight.

READ: Why do lithium-ion batteries catch fire?

All lithium-ion cells are imported into India as of now. Experts are blaming the poor battery design for the incidents.