- The government has acknowledged that it has made a mistake and has not done enough to raise the safety and quality standards of
electric vehicles † - This comes after there have been several instances of electric scooters catching fire.
- The government has called on the industry to focus on product quality.
In a case of too little too late, the secretary of state for road transport, highways and aviation has acknowledged that the government made a “mistake” in not taking steps to ensure the safety and quality of lithium batteries.
The statement comes after several electric scooters were reportedly set on fire in the country in recent months. At least six people have died in the country in the past six months from fires caused by electric vehicles.
According to an Economic Times
reportGeneral (Retd) VK Singh, the Secretary of State for Road Transport, Highways and Aviation, asked the industry to focus on product quality and admitted that the government has not done enough to set adequate standards for safety and quality of electric vehicles in the country.
“We are aware that we have had problems with the electric batteries, especially with two-wheelers,” Singh said. “I think we made a mistake in not going into the details of what can be done, what kind of regime can be put in place so that safety management and quality issues can be taken together,” he added.
While the ministry works to resolve the issues, Singh is calling on the industry to ensure the issues are resolved. “There is a need for the industry, as well as all others who enforce it, to ensure that the issues are resolved. From the ministry, we take actions to establish guidelines so that security measures are adequate, and we do those kinds of incidents we have in the recent past with two-wheelers.”
The major companies whose electric scooters have reportedly been set on fire include:
warned electric vehicle manufacturers that the government would severely punish errant companies.
The Center for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) had been asked to investigate the circumstances leading to the incident and also propose corrective action, the ministry of road transport said.
The ministry had also asked CFEES to share the findings, along with suggestions for measures to prevent such incidents.
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Electric scooter fire accident kills another man, his wife and two daughters with severe burns
