Govt Orders Probe Into Fire Incidents In Two-Wheeler Electric Vehicles

Nitin Gadkari said that the government is completely dedicated to the Paris accord on environment and protection of ecology and environment.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari (File photo: AFP)

New Delhi: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) has ordered an investigation in the four incidents of fire in two-wheeler electric vehicles (EVs), Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told Lok Sabha on Thursday.

He likewise expressed that as of March 25, upwards of 10,76,420 EVs were enrolled in the country and 1,742 public charging stations (PCS) were functional.

"A total of four incidents of fire in two-wheeler EVs have been reported in the past one week and this is a very serious issue. We have ordered a forensic investigation into each of the individual events from experts of Centre for Fire Explosive, DRDO and IISc, Bengaluru," he said during Question Hour.

The minister said India's guidelines for endorsement of EVs and batteries are apt with the global standards and the government will make a proper move after the exact technical reason for the mishaps is known.

"We are waiting for the report from the expert committee. After receiving the report, we will find out exactly what is the reason behind that. On the basis of that report, we will take appropriate action against the manufacturer," he said.

However, he said, he felt that the apparent reason behind these occurrences was high temperature.

Answering another supplementary, the minister said that the government is completely dedicated to the Paris accord on environment and protection of ecology and environment.

He said the govt has proposed to give 650 roadside amenities on national highways out of which, work on 40 of them have already started.

According to automobile experts, Lithium-ion batteries are the main cause of fire in electric vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries are at increased risk of fire if they are improperly constructed or damaged. There is a risk of fire even if the battery operating software is not designed correctly.

(With PTI inputs)