Amitabh Kant appeals EV makers to recall vehicle batches involved in fires

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on Wednesday asked EV original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to voluntarily recall batches involved in the EV fire incidents, as there are more news on electric two-wheelers catching fire in the country. He said that the time is ripe for the EV industry to instill a sense of confidence in consumers the way global automakers do by voluntarily recalling their vehicles over fire risks.

He said, “Manufacturing of (battery) cells isn't regulated. Battery management system needs to be strengthened. There has been a clear partnership between battery manufacturing and battery management."

Last week, several electric two-wheelers belonging to Jitendra Electric Vehicles caught fire in Nashik. The latest EV fire, also under the government scanner, joined the growing list of such incidents - five so far -- in just two weeks. The government has also decided to call technical teams of Ola Electric and Okinawa Scooter for an explanation on recent fires in their EVs. The battery manufacturers are cautious and are assuring exhaustive tests and technology to deal with the overheating issue.
 

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari has said that the EV fire incidents may have taken place due to higher temperature. On March 31 Gadkari in Lok Sabha said, "This is a very serious issue and we have ordered a forensic investigation into each individual event." He also stressed that the government will take appropriate action after a detailed technical report is submitted after the 30-day probe. The government is reportedly preparing comprehensive guidelines for the EV industry.