The video of a truck with electric two-wheelers up in flames seems to have caught the attention of Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog.
Kant, in conversation with CNBC, has advised electric vehicle makers to voluntarily recall batches of electric vehicles that were involved in fire incidents lately.
The CEO is of the view that by doing so, it would help the electric vehicle industry instil confidence in end consumers. He also gave an example of how the global automakers have recalled vehicle batches to ensure zero fire risks. Manufacturing of battery cells, as he pointed out, isn't regulated in India yet. Kant has also called OEMs to take steps towards strengthening the battery management system (BMS).
Fault in BMS, to recall, was pointed out by many experts as the major reason behind EVs catching fire. But on the other hand, Nitin Gadkari, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, had recently pointed out high temperatures as the probable cause of fire in EVs.
'This is a very serious issue and we have ordered a forensic investigation into each individual event,' Gadkari had said in Lok Sabha on March 31, 2022. The government had also called the technical teams of Ola and Okinawa to explain the fire incidents that had occurred in their electric scooters recently.
Several Jitendra EV branded electric vehicles had caught fire last week. As a matter of fact, there have been five incidents of electric vehicles catching fire within a span of two weeks. A Haryana resident had lost his life in an EV fire last year, whereas a father and daughter succumbed to an EV fire in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, in March this year.