EV Explosion Gadkari urges voluntary recall of EV batches linked to fires
New Delhi: Taking note of several mishaps involving electric two-wheelers in the last two months, Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has urged the EV manufacturers to make voluntary recalls of defective batches.
In a series of tweets on Thursday, Gadkari said companies may take advance action to recall all defective batches of vehicles immediately.
He said under the government is committed to ensuring the safety of each and every commuter.
"It is most unfortunate that some people have lost their lives and several have been injured in these incidents," he said.
The minister informed that an Expert Committee has been constituted to enquire into these incidents and make recommendations on remedial steps.
He said that based on the reports necessary orders on the defaulting companies will be issued and quality-centric guidelines for Electric Vehicles will also be issued soon.
"If any company is found negligent in their processes, a heavy penalty will be imposed and a recall of all defective vehicles will also be ordered," he warned.
Gadkari's tweet came on a day when an 80-year-old man died while his wife and grandson suffered burn injuries when the battery of an electric scooter exploded in their house in Nizamabad town on Tuesday night, as per TOI.
A case has been registered against the manufacturer, Pure EV, the manufacturer of the vehicle.
Police investigation revealed that the battery triggered flames after the owner put the battery on charge.
Three scooters manufactured by Okinawa have caught fire since October, resulting in two being injured.
Okinawa Autotech will recall 3,215 Praise Pro electric scooters in the first instance of an Indian manufacturer doing so after a spate of recent fires, said to be related to batteries, ET reported.
Ola Electric and Jitendra EV are two other manufacturers which had their electric scooters catch fire in the last three weeks, media reports said.
Earlier NITI Aayog CEO, Amitabh Kant, urged that EV OEMs voluntarily recall batches linked to EV fires.
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