As the electric vehicle (EV) industry awaits the new government quality-focused guidelines, yet another e-scooter related to Pure EV went up in flames in Gujarat. Also Read – Hindustan Motors to bring back the iconic Contessa in India as an electric car: View Details
The fire incident took place on Thursday at a house in Suvidhanath Society in Patan district when Pure EV’s ePluto 7G e-scooter was being charged, as can be seen in a video that went viral on social media. Also Read – Mahindra XUV900 Halo Electric SUV Teased, May Unveil On Independence Day 2022: Watch Video
In the video, the scooter can be seen in flames and the charger which is still plugged into the e-scooter. There was no report of any casualties. This was the fifth incident of fire in Pure Energy’s electric scooter. Also Read – Jio, BP to set up EV charging, battery swapping stations in 12 cities in India
Pure EV was yet to issue a statement on the cause of the fire. Till date, four other Pure EV e-scooters caught fire, the fourth one was reported from Hyderabad last month.
Pure EV had recalled 2,000 electric scooters in April. As fires and explosions in electric two-wheelers continue unabated, the government is all set to introduce EV battery standards (BIS standards) for EV two-wheelers, which will later be extended to four-wheelers.
The BIS standard for EV batteries will look at “size, connector, specification and minimum quality of cells, capacity of the battery”. NITI Aayog in a recent discussion paper emphasized the need for BIS standards as a first step towards a National Battery Swapping Policy.
Preliminary findings of a government-constituted inquiry committee on EV fires identified issues with the battery cell or design in almost all electric two-wheeler fire incidents in the country.
Experts found defects in battery cells as well as battery design in almost all EV fires. The government is now working on new quality-focused guidelines for electric vehicles, which will be unveiled soon.
Last month, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), which comes under the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, had sent notices to Pure EV and Boom Motors after their e-scooters exploded in April.
IANS