Road Transport Ministry may probe Secunderabad e-scooter fire disaster

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is readying to probe the deadly electric scooter fire incident at Secunderabad that has claimed the lives of eight people so far. 

Government sources have told Business Today TV that a probe will be initiated once the cause of the fire is known, the sources added. 

Scooters of the Greater Noida-based Gemopai Electric are said to be involved in the deadly fire at a Secunderabad showroom. The company is a joint venture between Delhi-based Goreen E Mobility and China-based electric vehicle manufacturer Opai Electric.

Earlier this month, the Road Transport Ministry had introduced additional safety provisions for electric vehicle batteries. However, these standards will come into effect from October 1. It is not clear what action can be taken in the interim.

The norms specify additional safety requirements related to battery cells, on-board charger, design of battery pack, and thermal propagation due to internal cell short circuit leading to fire.

Earlier, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had warned electric vehicle manufacturers rate if any company were to be found negligent, a heavy penalty would be imposed and a recall of all defective vehicles ordered. He had also advised companies to “take advance action to recall all defective batches of vehicles immediately”.

So far, Ola Electric has recalled over 1,400 electric scooters, Pure EV has recalled 2,000 units of its ETrance+ and EPluto 7G scooters, while Okinawa Autotech has recalled 3,215 scooters.

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