Consumer Protection Regulator Confirms Sending Notices To 4-5 EV OEMs Involved In Fire Incidents

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) said that it has issued notices to four to five electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers after taking suo moto cognizance of consumer complaints regarding the recent fire incidents involving electric two-wheelers. 

“We have asked them to provide reasons for a series of fire incidents in EVs and why the regulator should not take action against them,” CCPA Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare was quoted as saying by PTI.

Minister Of Road Transport And Highways Nitin Gadkari also recently said that the ministry had sent show cause notices to two-wheeler EV manufacturers involved in the fire incidents.

As per Khare’s latest statement on the matter, the other concerned ministries are also examining this issue. The rising EV fire cases have raised doubts if the sold products passed the standard testing manuals as some incidents also involved loss of life, said the regulator chief.

Several escooters from various manufacturers, including Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech, Pure EV, Jitendra EV, and Boom Motors, have caught fire in 2022. In June, legacy automobile giant Tata Motors also joined the elaborate list after a Nexon car became the first four-wheeler manufacturer to report an EV fire incident.

Following the incidents of escooter fires, the government also asked the EV companies in question to voluntarily recall their escooters, and over 7,000 vehicles were recalled post that.

The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry also formed a panel under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to investigate the reasons behind the fire incidents. Khare said that the regulator has asked DRDO to submit its report.

Earlier, there were reports that the DRDO panel found defects in batteries, including in the designs of the battery packs and modules, as the reason behind the fire incidents. 

Meanwhile, an experts’ team had also identified that the battery management systems (BMS) of some of the electric two-wheelers were seriously deficient and lacked ‘basic safety systems’.

After repeated incidents of escooter fires, all the companies related to such incidents saw a month-on-month (MoM) decline in sales of their escooters.

After a 27.3% MoM decline in May, Ola Electric’s escooter registrations declined 36.5% in June to 5,874 units, as per Vahan data.

Okinawa Autotech’s registrations dipped 25% MoM to 6,980 units in June from 9,305 units in May. Its total vehicle registration stood at 11,014 units in April. Similarly, Pure EV saw a decline in vehicle registrations to 1,125 units in June from 1,466 units in May and 1,757 units in April 2022.

The government has also taken a few initiatives to address the issue of EV fires. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has released the performance standards for EV batteries recently.

Meanwhile, the government’s hopes are high for EV penetration in India. A NITI Aayog report released last month said that in an ‘optimistic scenario’, there would be 100% penetration of electric two-wheelers in the country by FY27.