NEW DELHI: As many as 20 electric two-wheelers (e-2W) in a container of Nashik-based Jitendra EV Tech caught fire on Saturday. This is the latest case when an e-2W has caught fire, raising serious concerns about its safety.
“An unfortunate incident took place on 9th April near our factory gate in a scooter. The situation was immediately brought under control by timely intervention from our team. Safety being of prime importance, we are investigating the root cause and we will soon come out with findings,” said a spokesperson of the company.
Since the onset of summer in India, EVs, mainly the two-wheelers, have become prone to fire explosion incidents. Many experts believe that the lithium-ion batteries, which are powering the EVs sold in India, are not adaptive to domestic conditions.In the last week of March 2021, around 4 cases of fire explosion in an e2W were reported across India.
Union Road and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari recently said that this is a very serious issue and they have ordered a forensic investigation into each individual event led by experts of Centre for Fire Explosives, DRDO and IISc, Bengaluru. He said the government will take appropriate action against the manufacturers if they are found to be at fault. The minister feels the reason for these incidents is high temperatures.
Varun Goenka, Founder & CEO, Chargeup, said high grade cells and proper thermal runway are the foremost solutions for averting such incidents. Thus, technology and battery swapping can go a long way in ensuring safety of EVs, he said.