Faulty EV Batteries: Gadkari Sounds Caution Bell To Two-Wheeler Manufacturers

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has urged the electric two-wheeler manufacturers to be “cautious” while installing battery cells in vehicles as incidents of battery explosions in e-scooters were reported in different parts of the country.

He said any failure to address the problem would derail the government’s push for faster penetration of clean fuel vehicles, underlining the issue of quality control at manufacturers’ end.

Though the minister said he feels that high temperatures in March, April and May might have something to do with the battery cells developing problems, he flagged the need to have quality control at the manufacturing level.

Gadkari said they are waiting for investigation reports and would soon come up with standardised rules and a mechanism to have robust testing protocol.

"I understand the industry is in the nascent stage and there are serious problems. We don’t want to create more complications and problems for the industry. But safety is the highest priority for the government and there can be no compromise with human lives," he said.

The minister urged manufacturers to recall faulty batches of vehicles, test them and address the issue.

Union Road Transport Secretary Giridhar Aramane has asked all the manufacturers to send their standard operating procedures (SOPs) for quality checking and in-house system for carrying out tests and research.

What has come as a surprise for the government is that so far there has hardly been any fire in electric cars, indicating that quality of batteries provided in two-wheelers remains a matter of concern.