After Okinawa and Pure EV announced the voluntary recall of certain batches of their electric scooters following a recent spate of battery explosions, Union Minister of Transport Nitin Gadkari urged other companies involved in such incidents to follow suit follow, otherwise severe penalties could be imposed. He also warned of a state order for recalls if companies don’t adequately address the safety issue.
“Companies can take action in advance to recall all defective batches of vehicles immediately,” Minister Gadkari wrote on Twitter.
On Thursday, Pure EV announced a voluntary recall of 2,000 ETrance Plus and EPluto 7G vehicles following at least two fire explosions. In the latest incident, an 80-year-old man died on Wednesday after an electric scooter’s battery exploded while it was being charged at his home in Nizamabad district of Telangana.
Earlier, Okinawa Autotech conducted a voluntary recall of 3,250 Praise Pro electric scooters.
The government set up a committee of experts to investigate these incidents. Besides Okinawa and Pure EV, Jitendra EV and Ola Electric are also being studied
“We are awaiting the expert panel’s report on Ola and Jitendra EV,” said Secretary of Transport Ministry Giridhar Aramane Peppystores.
Minister Gadkari warned that action against misguided companies could result in severe penalties and an order for all defective vehicles to be recalled.
The expert panel consists of four experts from the Defense Fire and Explosive Laboratory, New Delhi, the Naval System Development Laboratory in Visakhapatnam and the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru.
Once the government-appointed panel completes its investigation, the ministry will also issue guidelines on electric vehicle safety. That could include the different tests that need to be carried out to determine safety standards, as well as the number of samples to be tested, said an official who is aware of the developments.
