EVs face a burning question of safety after serial fire incidents

Serial fires in green two-wheelers in a week raise questions about the regulation and safety standards of this fast-growing section of the automobile industry

Serial fire incidents involving Okinawa Autotech, Ola S1 Pro and Pure EV within a week have prompted all the stakeholders, including the government and electric vehicle (EV) makers, to swing into damage-control mode.

On Tuesday night, videos of an electric scooter model of Pune-based Pure EV, a seven-year-old EV two-wheeler maker, engulfed in flames in Chennai went viral on social media. It was the fourth such incident involving e-scooters within a week, putting in doubt the safety of battery-operated two-wheelers. Home-grown Okinawa, meanwhile, recorded two incidents. 

“It’s unfortunate and it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. We are seeking inputs from the companies on the reasons that could have led to the fire. We are also waiting for the expert committee to submit its findings to the government,” said Reji Mathai, director at Pune-based Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), which is responsible for giving certificates of safety and roadworthiness to automobiles.

A government-appointed team that includes experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) and Centre for Fire Explosives and Environment Safety has been deputed to visit and investigate the accident sites in Vellore, Pune and Trichy. Asked whether the high recurrence of such incidents — particularly those involving models from the same companies — merit a stricter action such as a mandatory recall of vehicles, Giridhar Aramane, secretary, ministry of road transport and highways, said unless one knows the reason for the mishaps, it would be speculative to comment. “Nobody called for such actions when a popular car brand from a large automobile company saw several cases of its model catching fire,” he pointed out.

There are two major ways an electric scooter can catch fire. One is through thermal runaway, in which a battery’s cells reach a critical temperature that causes them to spontaneously catch fire. Another one is battery failure, which occurs mainly due to poor cell design or manufacturing flaws or even external influence.

“We are investigating the incident and will do a thorough assessment. We adhere to the highest safety standards through rigorous internal testing as well as special phase change materials being implemented in our battery packs to avoid rapid fire/blast kind of scenarios,” said a statement from Pure EV, founded by Nishanth Dongari and Rohit Vadera. The company name is an acronym for Power Using Renewable Energy.

A statement from Ola Electric, too, said it is investigating the matter to get to the root cause and would share updates soon. Okinawa, meanwhile, blamed the mishap on the charging process, citing it as a case of short circuit due to negligence in charging.

Though three or four incidents don’t add up to a crisis, they do offer cause for pause, more so because EVs have only just started gaining acceptance in India after two decades of struggle.  India now has close to a million EVs (of all categories) on the roads. Overall EV sales in February 2022 bounced back to growth trajectory, clocking 54,557 units, a monthly rise of 10 per cent and year-on-year jump of 185 per cent, according to JMK Research.

But the problem has been that lucrative incentives and low entry barriers have led to an indiscriminate proliferation of manufacturers. “There are no stringent rules today on manufacturing EVs. Lower powered vehicles can be approved by ICAT without even rigorous testing,” said Vinkesh Gulati, president, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). ICAT is the International Centre for Automotive Technology based in Gurgaon for vehicle homologation and texting.

“There are a number of new entrants with a static electronics background. Most of them import kits from China. They do not have full battery testing infrastructure and have limited knowledge in auto electronics. Battery management and packaging knowledge is lacking,” added Balraj Bhanot, former ARAI director, an automobile homologation expert and former chairman, Central Motor Vehicle Regulations committee.

According to FADA’s Gulati, EVs need to be considered an automotive industry technology rather than just a technology industry that enable some companies to focus on offering technology along with EVs and compromising product safety.

“A negative consumer experience will undermine consumer confidence and sentiment about these new environmentally friendly mobility options. EVs are a new and unique technology that requires significant research and development to make them safe and efficient for Indian terrain and climate,” he said.

In response to these accidents, the government’s testing agencies, including ARAI and ICAT, which are responsible for giving Type Approval certificates, are considering introducing an additional layer of safety audit for EVs. “As of now these agencies only test the batteries and their aggregates. They are actively looking to widen the scope of testing by including a safety or fire audit for the vehicles as well,” said a safety expert.

To be sure, given the novelty of the technology, the incidents are not unique to India. Globally, there have been at least 25 such incidents of EVs involving Tesla cars. In 2021, Hyundai recalled more than 75,000 Kona electric SUVs globally, including 456 units in India, after more than a dozen battery fire incidents. Also, General Motors recalled 73,000 Chevrolet Bolt EVs due to concerns of potential battery fires.

 Mustafa Wajid, member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), Future of Transport and Mobility panel, said there are two scenarios in which safety issues must be considered with priority. One is that while charging the EVs, adequate care and electrical protection must be provided at the point of connection to the incoming supply. “It is also important that EV chargers supplied by the EV maker are used, since compatibility with power supply and EV batteries is mandatory,” he said. The second is the safety issues arising due to internal causes in the battery packs placed inside the EV, while it is being driven or parked. This is the exclusive responsibility of the EV manufacturer.

But until more stringent standards are in place, for buyers of EVs, it’s still caveat emptor.