Ola recalls over 1,400 e-scooters weeks after explosion in Pune

NEW DELHI: Ola Electric is recalling 1,441 of its electric scooters as a “pre-emptive measure”, weeks after one of its vehicles caught fire, the company said in a statement on Sunday.

The company said its investigation into the fire incident on March 26 in Maharashtra’s Pune is ongoing and preliminary assessment found that it was an isolated one. “As a pre-emptive measure we will be conducting a detailed diagnostic and health check of the scooters in that specific batch and therefore are issuing a voluntary recall of 1,441 vehicles,” the company said in the statement.

“Our service engineers... will go through a thorough diagnostics across all battery systems, thermal systems as well as the safety systems,” it said, adding that its battery system already complies with and is tested for AIS 156, the latest proposed standard for India, in addition to being compliant with the European standard ECE 136.

Ola said it supported an EV safety policy, and a preliminary assessment of one of its vehicles catching fire revealed the incident was an isolated one.

Incidents of e-scooters catching fire have come up in recent weeks, with at least three people dying in such explosions so far. On Saturday, a 40-year-old man died after the battery of his new electric bike exploded while charging in Vijayawada. On April 20, an 80-year-old man in Telangana was killed when his electric two-wheeler’s battery exploded. Scooters involving Indian start-ups such as Okinawa and Pureev, have also been involved in such fires; Okinawa recalled 3,215 vehicles this month while Pureev recalled around 2,000 units.

Taking cognisance of the incidents of electric vehicles (EVS) catching fire, the Centre has said that it will soon release a set of “quality-centric” guidelines for EV manufacturers, while also warning them of heavy penalty in case of negligence.

Last week, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari said that the road transport ministry has constituted an expert committee that will look into manufacturing issues of EVS in the country, especially two-wheelers, and recommend necessary interventions. “Several mishaps involving electric two-wheelers have come to light in the last two months... We have constituted an expert committee to enquire into these incidents and make recommendations on remedial steps... We will soon issue quality-centric guidelines for EVS,” Gadkari said in a series of tweets.