India's two-wheeler electric vehicle (EV) industry seems to have hit a bump with the government coming down heavily on erring manufacturers amid a spate of fatal fire incidents.
The government has warned of penalties if manufacturers fail to recall the faulty batches of vehicles. EV makers may have to go back to the drawing board before launching new electric scooters and bikes this year as the current technology seems to have failed for the intense temperatures India witnesses.
All EV manufacturers have been asked to carry out safety checks, conduct root cause analysis as well as detailed testing.
At a meeting, Union road transport secretary Giridhar Aramane reminded EV makers about the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act, which empowers the government to take strict action against manufacturers for causing harm to people and public property.
Last week, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari told EV makers to voluntarily recall defective electric two-wheelers after a series of fire accidents since March. Following the minister’s instructions, Okinawa recalled 3,215 scooters, Pure EV recalled 2,000 and Ola recalled 1,441 units.
The government has asked even those companies that have not been involved in any fire accidents to take “corrective actions” on their sold vehicles.
As a result of the crackdown, electric scooter maker Ather is expected to delay the launch of any new model this year, Business Insider quoted a source as saying. Bengaluru-based Ather had earlier planned to bring out a new variant with a bigger battery this year.
(Correction: An earlier version of the story had quoted reports claiming the government had asked EV makers not to launch new vehicles till instances of fire are investigated. The story has been corrected to incorporate the government's clarification that it has not made any such requests.)
