This Is Why Ola, Okinawa & Other Electric Scooters Are Catching Fire: Cheap, Low Quality Batteries (Govt Investigation)

While investigating alongside the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry, the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) found serious defects in the batteries, including designs of the battery packs and modules of EVs that were involved in fire incidents.

These defects, according to the sources who know the matter, occur 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”.

CFEES, DRDO, CCPA and Summons From Ministry

Fact finding report has been submitted to the Ministry by the Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) at the DRDO. 

The representatives of these EV manufacturers have been summoned by the ministry and have been asked to submit an explanation on the DRDO report findings.

Notices have been sent to Pure EV and Boom Motors after their e-scooters exploded in April by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), which comes under the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry.

More cases of e-scooter fires have been examined by the consumer watchdog and similar notices to other EV makers have been served.

After the EV fire incidents were reported, faulty batches of Pure EV and Boom Motors along with Ola Electric, Jitendra EV, and Okinawa Autotech have been recalled.

Battery Cells Or Design Faulty : Experts

Issues with battery cells or design in nearly all of the electric two-wheeler fire incidents in the country have already been identified in the preliminary findings from the government-constituted probe committee on EV fires. 

This committee was formed in the wake of EV fires and battery blasts in e-scooters.

In nearly all EV fires, defects were found in the battery cells as well as battery design, said the experts.

New quality-centric guidelines for EVs are being devised by the government and those shall be unveiled soon.

As of today, at least 12 electric two-wheelers have exploded till now and several EV makers have recalled the faulty batches amid the growing pressure from the government.