EV rules to mandate SOP in cases of fires, two-wheeler recalls
The Union government is framing comprehensive guidelines for the electric vehicle (EV) industry, covering operations and maintenance of EVs and related infrastructure; a standard operating protocol (SOP) to follow in cases of EVs catching fire; and specific rules on recalling electric two-wheelers, two government officials aware of the development said.
Several electric scooters have gone up in flames in the recent past, raising concerns in the government that such incidents may impact India’s nascent EV ecosystem, and its ambitious push for electric mobility. The government plans to make India a manufacturing hub for EVs and batteries as part of its energy transition. Federal think tank NITI Aayog is working on these guidelines in close coordination with the Union road ministry, said one of the two officials cited above, both of whom spoke requesting anonymity. The heavy industries ministry has also submitted its inputs to NITI Aayog, the official said.
“The SOP would give a detailed action plan to deal with a situation of fire in case of electric vehicles. Effort is also being made to make the guidelines comprehensive to deal with even unforeseen issues coming in the sector based on both local and global experience,” the official said. The SOP will also look at streamlining the process for scrapping EVs and educating owners of such vehicles about the do’s and dont’s.
On April 7, Mint reported that the government may ask some electric scooter makers to recall their products after a spate of fire incidents. The road ministry has started a probe after several scooters made by Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech and Pure EV caught fire in the past fortnight.
The second official said the guidelines may also include a separate recall policy for EV two wheelers, which would be framed considering their technical specifications.
Under a mandatory recall policy for all vehicles that took effect last April, an automobile can be recalled based on two factors -- the number of complaints received for a defect in the vehicle, and the annual sales of that particular vehicle model. While this policy also covers electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers, recent incidents have prompted the government to think of lowering the threshold for vehicle recall in case of electric two-wheleers, partly to prevent any negative sentiment about EVs.
Queries sent to spokespersons for NITI Aayog, and ministries of road transport and highways, and heavy industries remained unanswered till press time.