Quality cannot be compromised as the government has decided to impose fines on EV Scooters causing hazards. Without taking severe action since the industry is not yet developed however there has to be a norm and penalty so the makers of these vehicles are properly checked. Government officials informed the media that the escooter manufacturers have replied back to the notices sent to them by govt and that they are taking action.
Govt official: “the batteries have to be connected in a series however EV manufacturers are connecting them parallelly causing serious issues”. Also points out that Electric Vehicle is a growing industry and the future of India. So, it is more feasible to take precautions and set norms right now.
This initiative taken by Nitin Gadkari Union Minister, announcing of sending show cause notices to CEOs and MDs of escooter companies that reported incidents of fire, seeking a justification from them and demanding an explanation as to why the Motor Vehicle Act should not be invoked against them, further stating of taking necessary action after the manufacturers respond.
About five more electric vehicle manufacturers have been sent show cause notices by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) seeking an explanation as to why the vehicles caught fire and why there was no action taken.
Companies that reported fire incidents- Okinawa Autotech, Pure EV, Ola Electric, Jitendra EV and boom Motors. Incidents were said to be very dangerous and further investigation to look for issues with the battery, and quality will be looked in.
Currently, the government has two committees to oversee safety incidents. Centre for fire, explosive and environment safety (CFEES) the fire science % and engineering arm of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) which had discovered the defects in batteries along with the design module of the battery pack. There was another set of panels discovering that the battery management system BMS did not have a structured venting mechanism for overheated cells.
The Centre instructed escooter companies to discontinue selling damaged batteries and that they should be discarded. There had been a halt to releasing new models as there was a rise in cases.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) released a performance standard for the electric vehicle industry in order to ensure safety. It is expected that the sale of escooters will rise to 78% by the year 2030 backed by government policies, infrastructure, technology and most important consumer acceptance.
Amidst all the challenges, Ola is all set to roll out Escooters
Ola is all set to enter the electric vehicle industry, establishing a new manufacturing facility of electric vehicles right next to the two-wheeler factory in Tamil Nadu, the company announced on the occasion of India celebrating 75 years of Independence Day in a press briefing on 15th August 2022.
Bhavish Aggarwal Founder and & CEO of Ola said, “Electric mobility has been defined by the West to a certain extent. A majority of the world has context, dynamic, weather which is similar to India and India can be the leader and in order to achieve the goal of a long-term vision of mission electric, the industry and the government has encouraged the PLI scheme”. According to reports, Ola is aiming to hire 3000 employees and currently closing in on 1000 employees.
The Centre and state governments have initiated schemes and incentives in order to promote electric vehicles in India, putting in place regulations and policies for the same
With an investment of $500 million in battery cell research and development facility located in Bangalore by the summer of 2024, claiming Electric Vehicle cars have an ability to go from 0 to 100km/hour in 4 seconds with a range of more than 500 km per charge, offering fastest and sportiest cars India has ever seen.
Watch: https://youtu.be/eJpoE5g4aqw
One of the frequent concerns raised is not having a charging network for Electric Vehicles, Ola decided not to set up the network realizing the issue was not charging as people preferred changing their cars at their homes instead giving preference to scaling the service network.
