Seven electric bikes gutted in fire at Pune showroom; overcharging suspected [details]

In yet another fire incident involving electric vehicles (EVs) in the country, at least seven electric bikes caught fire at a showroom here reportedly due to overcharging.

The fire brigade had to be brought in to douse the fire at the showroom situated near the Gangadham area of Market Yard on Monday night.

Reports earlier claimed that the EV fire engulfed a showroom that sells electric two-wheelers and bikes from Komaki India.

However, Subhash Sharma, Operation Head, Komaki, told IANS that the recent fire incident caused at a showroom is actually not a Komaki vehicle and doesn't contain the original battery provided with the scooter.

"The showroom is multi-brand. The claim for cause of fire which is described as overcharging is also very suspectful as battery being charged by dealer in case of overheating normally should emit smoke only as chemistry of the battery is 'LIPO4' and should heat up to 115 degree Celsius which cannot be ignored," Sharma explained.

Moreover, he said, after going through the service record, "we have proof that the vehicle being claimed as cause of fire was subject to removal of batteries and didn't contain company connectors".

No one was hurt during the EV fire incident.

The staff at the showroom spotted fire in one e-bike, which later spread to six others, destroying them all.

The showroom dealer said in a statement that the cause of the fire was not known yet and they were inspecting the cause of the fire incident.

Guidelines for EV-makers

Alarmed at the continuing fire incidents, the government-formed committee to formulate new guidelines for EVs is set to submit its report soon.

The government had formed a committee to bring in standard operating procedure (SOP) on battery certification and quality control in order to help EV makers develop efficient and safe products for the consumers.

The committee has experts from the Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore, Naval Science and Technological Laboratory in Andhra Pradesh, and the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, among others.

The fresh standards will focus on traceability of foreign suppliers of cells and battery components.

The Centre earlier sent show-cause notices to EV manufacturers like Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech and Pure EV, among others, warning them why a penal action should not be taken against them for delivering faulty electric two-wheelers to the public.

The EV makers were given time till the end of this month to respond in detail to the notices.

Once the responses are in, the government will decide which penal action is to be taken, if any, against the EV makers at fault.

(With inputs from IANS)