E-scooters in flames showcase high cost of govt’s green goals
NEW DELHI: A spate of high-profile battery fires is undermining India’s bid to become a leader in electric vehicles, particularly in the ubiquitous two-wheelers that ply the country’s trafficclogged roads.
Social media is awash with videos of battery-powered scooters in flames. Last month, a father and daughter died from smoke inhalation after their brand-new bike from Okinawa Autotech Pvt caught fire while it was charging overnight at home. In another video, an Ola Electric Mobility Pvt scooter burns in Pune in the country’s west, while in another, some 40 two-wheelers made by Jitendra EV go up in smoke as they are transported in a container.
The incidents have, not surprisingly, made many Indians wary of electric vehicles — the number of people who said they wouldn’t buy an electric scooter due to safety and performance concerns jumped eightfold to 17% in the seven months through March, a survey of around 11,500 consumers conducted by LocalCircles showed. Just 2% of people are likely to buy an electric scooter in the coming six months, it found.
They’re also coming just as India, the world’s third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, is trying to get more electric vehicles on its roads. Already many consumers are reluctant to make the switch from combustion engine cars and motorcycles due to EVs’ high upfront cost and the country’s lack of charging stations, making it increasingly difficult for India to catch up with places like China and the U.S. that have made meaningful progress toward electrifying their transport fleets. About 77% of annual passenger vehicle sales in China will be electric by 2040, versus just 53% in India, BloombergNEF data show.
“When I hear of such incidents, I wonder why I should go for an electric vehicle. I’d rather buy a new gasoline one,” said Santhosh Kumar, who has an Ola electric bike himself but regards it now with a degree of caution. “I want to be part of the EV revolution and stop pollution but nothing is more important than the safety of my family and kids,” the 36-year-old from Chennai said.
The fires have sparked debate about dependency on imported auto parts that are then assembled locally. The concern is the resulting electric scooters aren’t designed from the ground up for the nation’s extreme climate — temperatures routinely soar to 48 degrees Celsius in the capital New Delhi — or its infrastructure. India’s roads are notoriously potholed, causing all sorts of suspension problems. India currently imports most of its EV components from China, depriving automakers of full control over the quality and reliability of their products. India’s nascent EV market is also flooded with startups that have rushed electric scooters to market and not all of them are going through the necessary rigor of testing under a wide variety of weather conditions, according to Rahul Mishra, a partner at management consultancy firm Kearney.
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