Govt Seeks Details On Quality Control, Safety Mechanism From EV Manufacturers

Reacting to the rising number of incidents of electric vehicles (EVs) catching fire, the Centre has sought  detailed reports from EV manufacturers on safety mechanisms and quality control measures implemented by them. The EV players have been told to respond to the matter within a week. 

In an email, seen by The Economic Times, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said, “You are requested to forward copies of functional safety standards, the standard operating procedures in respect of quality assurance and quality control mechanisms being followed, and the protocol for testing for the components.”

The ministry has also sought ‘ideas, suggestions and recommendations’ from EV players on the regulatory regime for prevention of such fire incidents in the future. 

The move followed a meeting convened by MoRTH officials on April 25 on the issue of safety of EVs. The meeting was attended by two and three-wheeler EV manufacturers. During the meeting, EV makers were reportedly ‘sensitised’ about the quality and safety requirements at various stages of design, procurement, manufacturing and servicing.

Some media reports had said that the government, during the meeting, asked  EV makers to halt launches of new models of two-wheeler EVs. However, the government later issued a clarification saying that no such instructions were issued, and called the reports “unfounded, misleading”.

Govt Cracks The Whip

The EV fires reported from across the country have led to the death of three people, while many have been injured.

Concerned over these incidents, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had earlier issued a stern warning, saying ‘negligent’ EV manufacturers will face heavy penalties. He had further called on EV companies to “advance action to recall all defective batches of vehicles immediately”. 

Following this, EV manufacturers – Pure EV, Ola and Okinawa – announced recall of over 7,000 vehicles cumulatively. In a bid to alleviate concerns among the public, the Centre has also deputed a high-level team to accident sites to probe the matter. 

The team will investigate the cause of the fires and submit a report in the matter soon. 

According to the Federation of Automobile Dealership Associations (FADA), 4.29 Lakh EVs were sold in FY22 in the country. Hero Electric led the sector with a market share of 28.23% in the two-wheeler segment. Okinawa Autotech was in second spot, grabbing 20.08% of the market share.

The overall Indian EV market was pegged at $1,434.04 Bn in 2021, and is expected to grow to $15,397.19 Bn by 2027 at a CAGR of 47.09%.