After multiple incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fire in the last few weeks, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday that a penalty will be imposed on companies for being negligent in the manufacturing process.
Gadkari, who holds the road, transport and highways portfolio, wrote in a tweet that defective vehicles will also be recalled.
Earlier this month, an Ola electric scooter had caught fire in Pune, following which the government had ordered an inquiry, reported PTI.
On Wednesday, an 80-year-old man died after the battery of an electric scooter exploded while it was being charged at his home in Telangana’s Nizamabad district, reported The Indian Express.
A scooter manufactured by startup firm Pure EV also caught fire earlier this month and another fire incident in a two-wheeler made by e-vehicle manufacturer Okinawa Autotech had led to the deaths of two people, reported NDTV. The companies have said they were investigating the incidents.
In his tweets on Thursday, Gadkari said that the government has asked an expert committee to look into these incidents and make recommendations.
“Based on the reports, we will issue necessary orders on the defaulting companies,” he wrote. “We will soon issue quality-centric guidelines for electric vehicles.”
The panel comprises of four experts from Visakhapatnam’s Naval System Development Laboratory, Delhi’s Defence Fire and Explosive Laboratory and the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, reported The Hindu.
After Wednesday’s incident, Pure EV said it would recall 2,000 units of its models ETrance Plus and EPluto 7G. Okinawa Autotech too had said earlier this week that it was recalling 3,215 units of its Praise Pro scooter to fix problems in their batteries.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!