A committee of experts appointed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has identified serious deficiencies in the battery management system (BMS) and the venting mechanism of cells used in electric two-wheelers.
The commission has been appointed to investigate the manufacture of EV two-wheelers after a series of fire incidents earlier this year, according to a report by the Hindustan Times.
Based on the commission’s recommendations, the Department of Transportation decided to impose severe penalties on three EV manufacturers found guilty of selling defective vehicles, the report said.
One of the first videos of EV fire incidents to go viral showed an electric scooter first emitting smoke before quickly going up in flames on a busy street. It was followed by another e-bike that went up in flames due to a short circuit in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.
Soon there was a torrent of such videos, pointing to the possibility of manufacturing defects in the electric two-wheelers.
After the fire incidents, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari warned EV companies about severe penalties and recall of mandates if found guilty of negligence. “Several accidents involving electric two-wheelers have come to light in the past two months. If a company is found negligent in their processes, a heavy fine will be imposed and all defective vehicles will also be ordered to recall,” said Mr Gadkari . in a tweet.
Several accidents involving electric two-wheelers have come to light in the past two months. It is very regrettable that in these incidents some people have lost their lives and several have been injured.
— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) April 21, 2022
Mr Gadkari urged EV manufacturers to act proactively on this issue, underscoring the government’s commitment to ensuring the safety of commuters.
The Department of Transport will soon issue regulations to ensure safety standards in batteries, the HT report added. It was also reported that safety standards will require manufacturers to come up with an “auto cutoff” feature.