Another electric scooter catches fire in India, users furious

After Ola Electric and Okinawa e-scooters caught fire and raised alarms in government circles, another electric scooter of Hyderabad-based Pure EV has reportedly caught fire in Tamil Nadu.

The EV fire incident, the third in a row, occurred near Mathura Toll Plaza in the Manjampakkam area near North Chennai.

The 26-seconds long video of the fire, posted by ET Auto, shows heavy smoke billowing out of a red-coloured Pure EV electric scooter, leaving the rider and the bystanders furious.

The company said it is investigating the incident.

Last week, a blue-coloured Ola S1 Pro e-scooter that was parked on the side of a road in Pune was spotted catching fire. The e-scooter burst into flames that soon engulfed the entire vehicle. The company is investigating the incident.

After that, an Okinawa e-bike went up tragically in flames due to an electrical short-circuit in Vellore, which led to two fatalities.

Okinawa Autotech had said that they adhere to the highest quality standards in their electric scooters. "This particular case has further brought to light how important it is for users to understand the correct usage and charging guidelines for EVs," the company said in a statement.

The tragic incident in Tamil Nadu has woken up the government, and the Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has already ordered a probe.

The battery manufacturers are cautious and are assuring exhaustive tests and technology to deal with the overheating issue.

According to Vivekananda Hallekere, CEO and Co-Founder of EV manufacturer Bounce, battery health is impacted due to a combination of reasons.

"The most critical variables are the quality of cells, thermal management through BMS, chargers, the way the batteries are packed, rapid charging. Any of these individual elements or a combination of these elements can have an adverse impact on the health of the battery. Any compromise on the health of the battery can lead to a risky situation," Hallekere told IANS.

"Bounce does not use rapid charging, which can be detrimental to the health of the battery, by making the battery behave erratically and this could adversely impact the thermal management," he added.