Nitin Gadkari checks Ola Electric scooter amidst rising EV fire incidents in India

Nitin Gadkari met Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal to discuss the reason behind the EV catching fires in India, days after the Centre ordered a probe last month.

The heat waves of 2022 summers have brought numerous incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fires. Companies like Ola, Okinawa, Pure EV, Jitendra Electric Vehicles, and many other e-scooter companies have experienced incidents of EV fires like never before. Hence, the Union Minister of Road, Transport, and Highway, Nitin Gadkari checks Ola Electric scooters himself as he meets Ola CEO, Bhavish Aggarwal. 

The meeting comes days after the Centre ordered a probe last month after an e-scooter launched by Ola, the ride-hailing operator's electric mobility arm, caught fire in Pune. The Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) had been asked to probe the circumstances that led to the incident and also suggest remedial measures, according to the road transport ministry.

The ministry had also asked CFEES to share the findings along with its suggestions on measures to prevent such incidents. The incident came to light after a video of the e-scooter engulfed in flame was widely circulated on social media with users raising questions over the safety standards of the vehicle.

Until now, the experts are blaming Thermal Runaway in lithium-ion batteries for causing such tragic incidents. Not only does a thermal runaway cause fire in electric vehicles, but it’s also equally hard to extinguish. 

Electric Vehicles have long been around in India too. Earlier, the country has seen some strong 4-wheeler, 3-wheeler, and 2-wheeler products in the market that have furthered the revolution and acceptance of the EV concept across all segments of the community. Following the lead and benchmarks set by other nations and evolved EV markets of the world, India has been at the epicenter of a new epoch in mobility.

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