Moment of reckoning for electric two-wheeler makers?

Four electronic-scooters burst into flames in quick succession in as many parts of the country late last month. And the news spread like wildfire with the visuals and video footage of the burning two-wheelers flooding social media platforms.

The manufacturers, on their part, went into fire-fighting mode. They claimed that the battery-run two-wheelers were as safe as the vehicles that run on internal combustion engines.

They also rejected the theory, which has been doing the rounds on social media platforms, that such vehicles were not fit to withstand Indian conditions-- like the heat, potholed roads and heavy loads.

But why did these scooters catch fire?

The only common link between these scooters is fixed lithium-ion batteries.

In December last year, e-scooters were banned from the public transport network in London over safety reasons. Officials there said that hurriedly-packed or defective batteries had led to a spate of fire incident in such scooters.

Experts point out three main reasons for battery failure, which lead to fire.

The first is their improper packaging. Then the bad quality of cells and the third is improper battery management system (BMS) which determines how the battery should accept charge and how it discharges. It works like the brain of the battery.

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A Lithium-ion battery is composed of hundreds of lithium-ion cells. And a deformity in one cell leads to a chain-reaction which engulfs all other cells. Also densely-packed cells will have less room to breathe and may also cause problems.

Experts also pointed out that the overcharging may lead to formation of crystals on the surface of anode. And if it grows larger and goes on to touch the cathode, it will cause a short circuit. That’s why most e-scooters now come with an auto-cut off system.

Meanwhile, Arun Shreyas, co-founder and CEO of RACEnergey attributes these fire incidents to the urgency of a few companies who skipped proper validation and testing.

Suhas Rajkumar, Founder & CEO of Simple Energy Pvt. Ltd believes that the fire in E-scooters may turn out to be good news for the industry. He told a national daily that these incidents will make people realise the importance of R&D and safety standards of the battery itself.

The government too has launched an investigation into the incident of fires. Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), which comes under Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has been tasked with the responsibility to find out the cause. In India, all vehicles should conform to Central Motor Vehicle Act standards.   

According to a business daily, the government can also ask Ola and Okinawa to recall their two-wheelers.

The manufacturers too are trying to douse the flames and get to the root of the problem before it spooks the buyers. They want to present e-scooters as a realistic personal transportation option. 

The government is also working to establish standards for battery-swapping services for electric vehicles.

By 2030, it expects electric scooters and motorcycles to make up 80% of the total sales of two wheelers. Right now it is just 2%. But these recent incidents of fire may cast a shadow over such a plan.

NITI Aayog has joined hands with the Bureau of Indian Standards, Department of Science and Technology for detailed technical standards for batteries.

Incidents of electronic scooters catching fire are clearly not good for their makers and the government too, which wants to shift the country away from fossil fuels.

The companies on their part should ensure that the report of probe into these incidents are taken seriously, and made public too. It is said that the image of Tata Nano took a hit due to similar reasons.

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