Footage of an Ola Electric scooter caught on fire has been making the rounds on social media recently.
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What Happened?
The incident occurred outside a shop on Porwal Road in Lohegaon on Saturday at around 1 pm.
The scooter was engulfed in flames on the roadside of a busy commercial area.
Ola Electric said that it is investigating the incident.
The affected scooter which is an S1 Pro is powered by a 3.97k Wh-lithium ion battery.
Lithium Fire
Such batteries can catch fire if improperly manufactured, damaged or if the software that designed the battery has not properly made it.
It is being speculated that it happened because of a thermal runaway, where an exothermic reaction occurs inside a lithium-ion battery when it is damaged or short-circuited.
A lithium-ion battery on fire cannot be doused by water since it immediately produces hydrogen gas and lithium-hydroxide.
Hydrogen gas is a major hindrance due to its extreme flammability.
Other Theories
One of the posters of the video has also said that the vehicle was often reported to have “temperature management issues”.
Co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal tweeted that safety is top priority and that the company will “fix it.”
The company has been beleaguered by negative customer response due to multiple delays in delivery of the scooters.
Others have raised concerns over the quality and battery range of the S1 and S1 Pro electric scooters.
Too Quick To Market Launch?
Some have doubted whether the company has done proper testing of the bikes before commercialising it, given the speed with which it set up its manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, and released its electric-bike in the market.
The latest incident is the first safety-related incident reported since the company began deliveries.
The company said that it contacted the owner of the scooter and that they are safe.
It added that it is taking the incident seriously, will take appropriate action and share more in coming days.