In the last one month, more than 7 cases of fire in e-scooters have been reported in India. In such a situation, questions are being raised regarding the safety of e-scooters. Many startups in the country are selling their two-wheelers in the e-scooter market. In Andhra Pradesh, on April 23, a person died again after an electric scooter battery exploded.
The incidents of fire in e-scooters are increasing continuously and doubts have started arising in the minds of the customers. The incident of fire has happened not only in one company, but in e-scooters of Ola, Okinawa, Boom Motors, Jitendra Electric and Pure companies. Due to this companies like Ola and Okinawa have recalled their e-scooters.
In such a situation, let us know why the incidents of fire in electric scooters are increasing continuously? Is this happening because of the excessive heat? What steps has the government taken so far to prevent such incidents?
Before knowing the answers to these questions, let's take part in a poll...
Where did the electric scooter fire incident come to light this year?
The first incident came to light on 25 March in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. Here after leaving the e-scooter of Okinawa company for charging at night, suddenly it caught fire. Due to this, a 45-year-old man and his 13-year-old daughter died of suffocation. In the initial investigation, the police attributed the cause of the fire to short circuit. The second incident took place on March 26 in Pune, where Ola's S1 Pro electric scooter suddenly caught fire, the video of which had gone viral online. Ola S1 Pro was launched by the company last year. The third incident occurred on March 28 at Manapparai in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli district, where an Okinawa e-scooter caught fire. The fourth incident occurred on March 30 in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, where a red colored e-scooter of Hyderabad-based startup Pure caught fire.
Fifth Incident A container truck carrying an electric scooter caught fire recently on the Mumbai-Agra National Highway in Nashik on April 9. Due to this, 20 electric scooters kept in it were burnt to ashes. Nashik-based EV firm Jitendra Electric has said that it is probing the incident. The sixth incident is from Nizamabad district of Telangana on April 20. An 80-year-old man died and four other family members suffered severe burns when Pure's electric scooter caught fire here.
The seventh incident took place on April 23 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. Here, Kotakonda Shiv Kumar, 40, had bought an electric scooter from Boom Motors on April 22, a day earlier, and installed it for charging in his room. The battery exploded during charging. He died of severe burns and suffocation in this accident. Whereas, his wife and children are seriously injured.
What have the companies making e-scooters done so far?
Many e-scooter companies have recalled many of their models after the fire incidents. Okinawa has recalled 3,215 e-scooters this month. Ola Electric said in a statement on 24 April that we will conduct a detailed investigation of the scooters of that particular batch, hence the company is returning 1,441 vehicles.
Earlier, electric scooter company Pure EV had recalled 2,000 scooters of eTrans Plus and ePluto 7G models in the wake of fire incidents in its scooters in Nizamabad and Chennai in Telangana.
On the Pune incident, Ola had said that we are aware of the Pune incident and are trying to find out the reason behind this incident. Vehicle safety is of paramount importance to Ola and we promise high quality standards on our products.
What steps has the government taken so far to prevent such incidents?
India launched an investigation into the fires in e-scooters last month. Also, a committee of experts has been constituted to make recommendations. The central government is sending a team of independent experts to investigate the incidents in Okinawa. Along with this, the central government is moving towards a stricter Automative Industry Standards (AIS). Taking a tough stand on the incidents of fire in e-scooters, Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had recently said that there will be an investigation and the companies involved in the mistake will be punished. Gadkari had made many tweets about this in the past.
Gadkari had said that in the last two months, several accidents involving electric two-wheelers have come to the fore. It is sad that some people have lost their lives and many people have been injured in these incidents. Gadkari had said that if any company is found to be negligent in the process, heavy fines will be imposed and orders will be given to recall all defective vehicles.
Is this happening because of battery failure and overheating?
• The reason for the fire in these e-scooters is not yet known. However, according to many reports, the main reason for this is the batteries of these scooters.
• After most of these e-scooters caught fire, the rising plume of smoke from their batteries added to the possibility of battery fire.
• The exact cause of the fire in electric scooters of Ola, Okinawa, Boom Motors, Jitendra Electric and Pure companies is yet to be ascertained. The companies associated with these scooters have said that they are investigating the matter.
• After the fire broke out in an e-scooter in Okinawa in Tamil Nadu, the company said that as per its preliminary assessment, the reason for the fire in the scooter is a short-circuit due to negligence in charging.
Expert told these reasons responsible
• The biggest question among many accidents is why e-scooters are catching fire. Experts first blame the battery for this. He says that in e-scooters, the battery is the only part where fire can occur. Strict safety rules need to be adopted in this regard.
• Experts say that two wheelers with lithium-ion batteries should be allowed to be launched for sale in the market only after rigorous testing. Also, it should not be used for charging immediately after driving.
• Hero Electric CEO Sohinder Gill said in a recent interview that the service of e-scooters is very important and awareness should be spread among the customers about it. Gill says that the level of knowledge and awareness between the dealer and the customer is very low, customers need to be told how to take care of the battery.
• Sohinder Gill says that many customers drive in the sun for 40 kms and immediately after returning put the battery in charge, which causes the battery to boil. It's like feasting on an accident.
• In a country like India where the temperature reaches 45 degrees, the temperature of the batteries can reach 90-100 degrees due to thermal runaway, which increases the risk of fire. Problems such as fire due to not designing keeping in mind the weather of India and batteries imported from abroad come to the fore.
• Experts believe that to avoid this, these batteries should be made in the country keeping in mind the environment of India.
• Industry experts say that e-scooters can catch fire due to various reasons, including manufacturing defects, external damages or lack of BMS can make these batteries prone to fire.
• Manufacturers of electric vehicles import these batteries in large numbers from China, from where the batteries with poor BMS quality come from, causing many problems including fire in the batteries.
• According to a statista report, China was the largest manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries in the world in 2021 and 79% of the world's lithium-ion batteries were made in China during this period.
Who gives certificate to Electric Vehicle (EV)?
• Experts have also expressed concern over the lack of excellent certification/testing agencies for EVs in India. He says that a lot needs to be improved in this.
• At present, the two main agencies in the country are the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and the International Center for Automotive Technology (ICAT), which provide EV certification in India.
• Experts also expressed concern over the lack of long term testing in the country. Giving an example, he said that when we give a battery pack to an agency, we test it and give it back saying that as of today this battery pack is completely fine, but the battery is a degrading product. Its performance decreases in three or six months, it does not work as before.
• Experts also insist on setting a standard to prevent the import of low quality cells imported from China.
• Experts told that some time ago the same happened in the solar industry. Imports of poor quality products were flooded, following which stringent passing norms were set.
What batteries are used in e-scooters?
• Lithium-ion ie Li-ion batteries are used in e-scooters. Nowadays, these batteries are being used all over the world, from smartphones to laptops and from electric cars to smartwatches.
• These batteries are considered more powerful and lighter than other batteries. However, these batteries also carry a fire hazard, as seen in e-scooters in recent times.
• What makes Lithium-Ion batteries better than other batteries are their lightness, high energy density, and ability to recharge. In addition, lithium-ion batteries last much longer than lead-acid batteries.
• The biggest feature of lithium-ion batteries is the high energy density, that is, more energy than ordinary batteries. But, this can also be the reason for the failure of the battery. According to experts, the high energy density of these batteries means that these cells can become unstable under certain conditions, which can affect its functionality.
• Experts agree that lithium-ion batteries work best within a safe operating limit. To ensure the safety of these batteries, there is a Battery Management System (BMS).
• The BMS is an electronic system that is connected to each cell in a lithium-ion battery pack. The BMS continuously measures the voltage of the battery and the current flowing through it.
• Also the BMS is equipped with several temperature sensors, which give it information about the temperature in different sections of the battery pack.
• All this data helps BMS calculate other parameters of the battery pack, such as charging and discharging rates, battery life cycle and efficiency. If the BMS doesn't work properly, there are chances of battery catching fire.
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