Battery Quality Is Leading To Fire Accidents In EVs Say Experts

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are taking centre stage as the Indian government is pushing for clean, sustainable mobility. In the last few years, the Indian market has been flooded with EVs from startups and OEMs, including established brands such as Tata Motors, TVS, and Bajaj, while a few startups have become household names, such as Ather Energy, Yulu, Okinawa, and Joy e-bike.

With the government’s support and a goal to go carbon-neutral by 2070, electric vehicles have had significant development in terms of range, charging, and other technologies like battery swapping. However, the question remains — is the technology safe?

This is a question that has been lingering for many, but with the latest developments in the industry, it only becomes more evident. In the last few days, various electric vehicles – mostly scooters – have caught on fire. Ola, Okinawa, and the latest, Pure EV. One of these incidents also claimed two lives, begging the question — what’s happening?

While Ola was not immediately available for answers, Pure said in a statement that the vehicle is at its centre to investigate the matter. Okinawa had claimed that the incident was negligence during charging and it too, was investigating the matter.

Industry experts, however, feel there is more to this and the primary reason is quality. “When a lot of battery packs are being imported, there is bound to be a bad batch, and if that skips the eye of quality control, such situations can occur,” said Yatin Gupte, Chairman and MD, Ward Wizard Innovations and Mobility. He added, “EVs cannot be ridden like ICE vehicles.

To tackle such situations, experts believe that when battery packs are made in India, quality can be monitored. Ward Wizard is doing exactly that, by setting up a battery manufacturing plant at its facility in Vadodara.

The climatic conditions of India are also to blame as per experts. India faces extremes, be it summer or winter. During winter, batteries remain under operable temperature, however, during summer, batteries operate on the edge of their limits, as most are designed to be used under climatic conditions of other countries. When batteries heat during operation or charging, they can potentially catch fire.

When Express Mobility reached out to Log 9 Materials, Dr Akshay Singhal, Co-Founder and CEO of Log 9 Materials said, “It is very unfortunate to see the recent incidents of electric vehicles catching fire. These incidents sadly would become more common unless we develop ground up battery technologies suitable for Indian conditions and vehicle types, and the industry must take urgent note of this. Further, it’s my humble request to all fellow companies in the EV space to not compromise safety and reliability for anything else.”

Such incidences necessitate stringent testing and safety norms for batteries and EVs so that they can withstand harsh Indian temperatures and conditions. With numerous EV manufacturers on the rise, standardisation becomes a key factor. Following the unfortunate accidents, the central government is taking action as well, asking the Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) to investigate the two incidents.