The burning question: Why are electric two-wheelers in India catching fire?

Neither the industry nor the government has focused on standards and safety norms

Nearly a decade ago, the first fully electric vehicle (EV) caught fire on the road in the US. It was a model from Tesla, the world’s most admired EV maker. A metal fragment punctured the underbelly of the vehicle, penetrating its battery pack, leading to a fire.

Indian lawmakers and automakers have had nine years to study the incident (in fact, three Tesla Model Ss caught fire in two months in 2013) but seem to have learnt little. Otherwise, we wouldn’t face a spate of fires involving EVs. The latest occurred in Hosur (Tamil Nadu), when flames emerged from under the