Sending out a strong message on recent electric fire incidents, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said an expert committee will probe the accidents and also talked about heavy fines, among other measures.
“Several mishaps involving Electric Two Wheelers have come to light in the last two months. It is most unfortunate that some people have lost their lives and several have been injured in these incidents,” Gadkari said in a series of tweets.
The Union Minister further said if any company is found negligent in their processes, a heavy penalty will be imposed and a recall of all defective vehicles will also be ordered.
“We have constituted an Expert Committee to enquire into these incidents and make recommendations on remedial steps,” Gadkari added.
Based on the reports, Gadkari noted that ministry will issue necessary orders on the defaulting companies. “We will soon issue quality-centric guidelines for Electric Vehicles,” he said.
Earlier this week, third instance of EV fire relating to a scooter manufactured by Pure EV was reported in Hyderabad. Prior to this, three of Okinawa’s scooters have caught fire since October, resulting in two being injured. Ola Electric and Jitendra EV are other companies that have seen their electric scooters catch fire in the last three weeks. Ola Electric is still yet to publicly comment on its investigation into the incidents
“Meanwhile companies may take advance action to Recall all defective batches of vehicles immediately. Under the leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji, our government is committed to ensure safety of each and every commuter,” the minister added.
Earlier, the NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, requested that EV OEMs voluntarily recall batches linked to EV fires.
