The government has stepped in with a proposal to create rules on battery certification and quality control in response to an increase in reports of EV fires from various sections of the nation. By taking this action, the government hopes to prevent future incidences that would scare off consumers of electric vehicles. The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and a specialist in advanced chemistry have all sent representatives to the Centre’s panel of experts. The panel also includes representatives from the Naval Science & Technological Laboratory, which is based in Visakhapatnam.
In the recent past, there have been several instances of automobiles catching fire in the electric two-wheeler market. Following several different fire occurrences, manufacturers of electric two-wheelers like Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech, and PureEV had to recall their scooters. Manufacturing flaws, external damage, or deployment errors in the battery management system are a few potential causes of fire that might make these batteries a fire hazard. In certain instances, poor charging may possibly have contributed to the fire.
The first significant incident of a passenger car catching fire in India is said to have occurred last month when a Tata Nexon EV caught fire in Maharashtra. The nation’s best-selling EV is Nexon. According to a statement from Tata Motors, there are 30,000 Nexon EVs on the road, and they have together travelled more than 100 million kilometres throughout the nation in just under 4 years.
A different team was called to look into the incident’s circumstances and recommend preventative measures. This committee included representatives from the Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety, the Indian Institute of Science, and the Naval Science & Technological Laboratory. The official stated that, based on a preliminary assessment, they have contacted car makers and are seeking replies, even though the cause of the incident is still being investigated.
The government is concentrating on encouraging owners of passenger vehicles to switch from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles in an effort to lower its overall crude import expense. The shift has been partially successful for the government, thanks in part to high fuel costs and the introduction of reasonably priced EVs by manufacturers like Tata Motors, MG, and Hyundai. Maruti Suzuki, the biggest automaker in the nation, hasn’t yet put an EV on the market, but it is collaborating with Toyota to build a battery EV in India. The business has also stated that it will cease producing all-petrol vehicles over the next ten years and may equip them with hybrid powertrains in the meantime.
The absence of charging infrastructure, especially in major cities, which causes range anxiety, is the main deterrent to EV purchases in India. Although there is a goal to install at least one EV charging station for every 69,000 gasoline stations across the nation, there is now essentially no EV infrastructure on the highways. According to Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, the government intends to sell only electric vehicles throughout the nation by 2030.
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