EV Fire Incidents: Centre Issues Notice To Ola Electric & Other Manufacturers

Bhubaneswar: Following frequent incidents of electric vehicles (EVs) catching fire, the Centre has issued a show-cause notice to several manufacturers of such vehicles in the country.

The notices have been served on Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech and Pure EV among others. The companies have been asked to explain by end of this month why a penal action should not be taken against them for delivering faulty EV scooters.

Earlier, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) under the Consumer Affairs Ministry, had sent notices to Pure EV and Boom Motors while the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had also sought replies from EV manufacturers.

The committee, constituted by the government on EV fire, identified problems with battery cells and design in the EV fire incidents. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which was earlier tasked with investigating electric two-wheeler fire incidents by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry, also found serious defects in the EV batteries.

“These defects occurred because the electric two-wheeler manufacturers like Okinawa Autotech, Pure EV, Jitendra Electric Vehicles, Ola Electric and Boom Motors may have used “lower-grade materials to cut costs”, a national news agency quoted the DRDO probe as stating.