Exclusive | After Pure EV and Boom Motors, Ola Electric gets govt notice to explain e-scooter fires in 15 days

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) under the union consumer affairs ministry has issued a notice to Ola Electric over the recent electric scooter fire incidents, sources privy to the developments told CNBC-TV18.

The CCPA has given Ola Electric 15 days to reply to the notice. The notice was issued in mid-June, said people familiar with the matter. The CCPA issued notices to Pure EV and Boom Motors last month after their e-scooters exploded.

Taking suo moto cognizance of incidents of fires being reported in electric vehicles, the consumer watchdog has asked Ola Electric to explain the reasons for the fire and share the details of quality standards, according to multiple people familiar with the development.

In April, Ola Electric had recalled 1,441 units of its electric two-wheelers. The company said its battery systems already comply with and is tested for AIS 156, the latest proposed standard for India, in addition to being compliant with the European standard ECE 136. The Indian government is revising AIS-156 to align it with countries like Japan, Germany, and the US.

Sources in the know told CNBC-TV18 that CCPA has also referred the matter of Pure EV to the Director General (Investigation) of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to assess the product.

Recently, there have been widespread incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fire in various parts of the country forcing manufacturers to recall their vehicles.

Boom Motors recalled its electric two-wheelers sold under the Corbett Bikes brand in the last week of April after an explosion of one of its units in Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada reportedly led to the death of a 40-year-old man.

Pure EV decided to recall around 2,000 of its scooters after an 80-year-old man in Telangana's Nizamabad died due to an alleged explosion of a battery of one of its scooters.