EV fires to be probed; industry bound to grow: Transport secy
NEW DELHI: Amid multiple cases of electric two-wheelers catching fire, road transport and highways secretary Giridhar Aramane on Sunday said that every incident will be probed and asserted that the Indian electric vehicle industry is bound to prosper and grow beyond ‘our imagination’.
Aramane further said the ministry of road transport and highways ( MoRTH) has achieved an overall asset monetisation value of about Rs21,000 crore in FY22 as part of the Centre’s National Monetisation Pipeline. “Each and every incident (of electric vehicles catching fire) will be probed into,” he said in an interview.
Recently, there have been multiple incidents of electric vehicles catching fire and resulting in deaths and severe injuries to people.
Asked if the spate of high profile battery fires is undermining India’s bid to become a leader in electric vehicles, Aramane said the manufacturers should quickly establish necessary functional safety protocols, quality control and quality assurance systems.
“The Indian electric vehicle industry is bound to prosper and grow beyond our imagination,” he asserted. Aramane said an expert panel has been formed to enquire into the matter.
“All the problems and the procurement, design, management, operations, manufacturing of the batteries and electric vehicles have to be examined,” following which appropriate recommendations will be given, he said.
Recently, road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, who is known for being frank, had said the companies found negligent will be penalised and a recall of all defective vehicles will be ordered after the expert panel submits its report. The government had ordered a probe last month after an e-scooter launched by ride-hailing operator Ola’s electric mobility arm caught fire in Pune.
The Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) had been asked to probe the circumstances that led to the incident and also suggest remedial measures, according to the road transport ministry. The ministry had asked CFEES to share the findings along with its suggestions on measures to prevent such incidents.
So far, three Pure EV, one Ola, two Okinawa, and 20 Jitendra EV scooters have caught fire. To a question on asset monetisation, Aramane said: “Last year (2021-22 fiscal), we did more than Rs15,000 crore of asset monetisation. We also got around Rs5,000 crore through securitisation of toll. So, overall Rs20,000-21,000 crore accrued to the ministry by asset monetisation,” he said.
In August 2021, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Rs6 trillion National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) over four years to unlock value in infrastructure assets across sectors.