Electric Vehicles Catching Fire: Ola Electric Falls To 4th Spot As EV Registrations Fall Drastically

Ola Electric has slipped to the fourth position in terms of electric vehicle registrations in June 2022.

This is just months after reaching the top position, as per the government’s Vahan dashboard.

Fall from grace

The data shows that Ola Electric received around 5,874 electric vehicle (EV) registrations for June 2022.

This is a 36.5% drop from 9,255 registrations in May 2022.

This is also less than half of 12,703 registrations in April 2022, the month it became the top EV maker in the country.

Okinawa 

Meanwhile Okinawa Autotech fared much better, having maintained its pole position for the second consecutive month with 6,980 registrations in June 2022.

However, it did witness a 25% drop from 9,305 registrations in May 2022 and a 36% drop from 11,014 registrations in April 2022.

Ampere

Ampere, the electric two-wheeler brand owned by Greaves Electric Mobility recorded 6,541 registrations in June 2022.

This is a 12% increase from 5,837 registrations in May 2022 but nearly flat from 6,542 registrations in April 2022.

Hero Electric

The company saw some recovery to take the third spot with 6,503 registrations in June 2022, as compared to 2,851 registrations in May 2022.

However the figure is nearly flat from 6,579 registrations in April 2022.

Ather Energy

Hero Motocorp-backed Ather Energy is fifth on the list with 3,808 EV registrations in June 2022, a modest 14% growth from 3,338 registrations in May 2022.

But this is a massive 55% growth from 2,451 registrations in April 2022.

Ola Electric blames Vahan dashboard

The dashboard does not capture data from Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and Lakshadweep, so the figures in these states are not available.

An Ola Electric spokesperson also said earlier that Vahan is not an accurate reflection of their dispatch and sales data.

They said that this is because there is a “long lag in data getting updated on the dashboard” and it only captures permanent registrations.

Blaming supply chain constraints

The company blamed the current decline on the impact of supply chain constraints, especially on cell shortage in the month of June.

They expressed optimism that come July, the supply chain issues will start “fading out”.

Safety concerns

It cannot be denied that the string of e-scooters catching fire in multiple locations these last few months has shaken consumer confidence.

This could also be why the registrations for multiple companies saw a decline.

An expert committee set up by the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has found safety system flaws in batteries of electric two-wheelers.

Faulty, low quality parts

It found that the electric two-wheeler manufacturers cut corners and used “lower-grade materials”.

Electric two-wheeler manufacturers like Okinawa Autotech, Pure EV, Jitendra Electric Vehicles, Ola Electric and Boom Motors may be guilty of this. 

They offered no mechanism to identify overheating of cells and isolate failed battery cells.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has now issued new performance standards for lithium-ion batteries to safeguard passenger safety.