Gadkari urges voluntary recalls following EV explosions, warns of penalties on firms
The Hindu
Government to also issue safety guidelines for EVs
After Okinawa and Pure EV announced voluntary recall of certain batches of their electric scooters following a spate of battery explosions in the recent past, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari urged other companies involved in such incidents to follow suit, failing which there could be heavy penalties. He also warned of a government order on recalls if companies did not adequately address the safety issue.
"Companies may take advance action to recall all defective batches of vehicles immediately," Minister Gadkari wrote on Twitter.
On Thursday, Pure EV announced a voluntary recall of 2,000 vehicles belonging to models ETrance Plus and EPluto 7G after at least two fire explosions. In the most recent incident, an 80-year-old man died on Wednesday after the battery of an electric scooter exploded while being charged at his home in Telangana’s Nizamabad district.
Earlier, Okinawa Autotech issued a voluntary recall of 3,250 Praise Pro electric scooters.
The government has constituted an expert committee to enquire into these incidents. Apart from Okinawa and Pure EV, Jitendra EV and Ola Electric are also being probed
"We are waiting for the expert panel's report on Ola and Jitendra EV," Secretary, Road Transport Ministry, Giridhar Aramane, told The Hindu.
Minister Gadkari warned that action against errant companies could involve heavy penalties as well as an order for recalling of all defective vehicles.