EV accidents prompt Ola to recall 1,441 electric scooters

In the wake of recurring explosions involving electric vehicles, Ola Electric has decided to recall 1,441 units of its electric two-wheelers, the company announced in a statement.

The company said its investigation into the fire incident on March 26, in Pune, is underway and preliminary assessment found that it was an isolated one.

“As a pre-emptive measure we will be conducting a detailed diagnostic and health check of the scooters in that specific batch and therefore are issuing a voluntary recall of 1,441 vehicles,” the company said.

Also read: EV fire: Govt to revise testing norms for batteries, battery management & cells

The said batch of scooters, Ola Electric said, will be inspected by in-house service engineers and undergo a “thorough diagnostics across all battery systems, thermal systems as well as the safety systems.”

Ola Electric said its battery systems already complies with and is tested for AIS 156, the latest proposed standard for India, in addition to being compliant with the European standard ECE 136.

Recently, there have been widespread incidents of electric two-wheelers catching fire in various parts of the country forcing manufacturers to recall their vehicles. Okinawa Autotech had recalled over 3,000 units, while PureEV did a similar exercise for around 2,000 units. The fire incidents had prompted the government to form a panel to examine and had warned companies of penalties if they were found to be negligent.

Also read: EV toll rises as Boom Corbett battery explosion kills Vijayawada man

In a latest occurrence, a 40-year-old man was killed when the battery of his newly-purchased Boom Corbett 14 scooter exploded during charging.