Ministry of Road Transport and Highway of India conducted a meeting with 35 EV manufacturers over the repetitive e-scooter fire incidents. Hefty fines are to be imposed soon.
In the recent build-up in resolving the e-scooter fire incidents; the Ministry of Road & Highways (MoRTH) conducted an online meeting with EV manufacturers. This virtual meeting had a total of 35 various EV makers across the country. With the recent incidents of e-scooters catching fire; the concerns and questions from the officials were hard & harsh to answer.
Via this virtual meeting, the central ministry made it clear to the EV manufacturers that there will be no ban on the new product launches for now. Although, all of the EV manufacturers were strictly scolded and made clear about the safety of passengers on the road. The number of fire-related incidents in the various e-scooters are being consistent day after day. We already presented to you a detailed story about why are electric scooters catching fire. The reasons behind such incidents remain unnoticed or unworked till now; as said by the government during the meeting.
These fire-induced incidents have caused a havoc among the existing e-scooter owners as well as potential buyers. There has been a monumental loss of property as well as lives in a few cases which is completely intolerant as per the government ministry. According to the reports published over the internet, the Joint Secretary Giridhar Aramane scolded the electric two-wheeler manufacturers an earful during the meeting. Also, the manufacturers were told clearly that any such incidence in the future will attract hefty penalty along.
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After the fire-related incidents, government has formed a special committee to analyze the working of the various EV manufacturers. The results has been shocking from the research. As per the committee, some of the makers were found using only 10-15 employees. Additionally, in the name of R&D unit there were only just one or two technicians that were working. This result has made the MoRTH furious and the government has escalated the seriousness related to this matter.
After the occurrence of a total of eight different such accidents pan India; the government has ordered the e-scooter and electric two-wheeler manufacturers to voluntarily recall their products. This shall help eliminate the core issue related to fire-induced accidents which occurred in e-scooters like the Ola S1 Pro and Okinawa PraisePro etc.
The reports suggest that many EV manufacturers are involved in cheap practices which lead to such accidents. Importing cheap parts and assembling them into the production-ready product has become a core practice among EV makers. The non-reliable and untested products suffer such horrendous issues in the long-term of ownership.
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