Increasing Instances Of Electric Vehicles Catching Fire Raise Grave Safety Concerns

The disturbing incident of an electric scooter catching fire in Pune's Dhanori area on Saturday raised several concerns regarding the safety of electric vehicles in India. The video that went viral showed that Ola S1 Pro electric scooter parked on the roadside with a learner's badge caught fire. While the company has said that it was aware of the incident and the probe to find the root cause of the fire, the question over the safety of electric vehicles has become the topic of heated discussion.

A similar incident was reported in which a 49-year-old man and his minor daughter died due to suffocation after their newly bought electric scooter went up in flames while charging.

Previous Instances Of EVs Catching Fire

These two are not the only incidents of electric vehicles blowing up, thus raising massive concerns. Very recently, a person in Haryana lost their life because the lithium-ion battery exploded in Gurugram. Top manufacturers, especially Ola Electric, which claims to be building the world's largest two-wheeler facility, were known, until Saturday, for selling quality products, The New Indian Express reported.

Government's Push For EVs

Both the Centre and State governments have been advocating switching to electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions, thereby delaying climate change. However, the question arising from the recent and repeated incidents of electric scooters have raised the question of how feasible it is for the common person to choose electric vehicles over fuel-based vehicles. The US Consumer Safety Product Commission's study reported over 1 lakh injuries from electric vehicles were reported from January 2009 to December 2019.While there is no doubt that electric vehicles contribute to a greener world, governments and private companies must consider if it comes at the cost of life.

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