New Delhi:
After two instances of fire in ePluto scooters went viral on social media last week, electric vehicle startup Pure EV has said it is open to detailed set of guidelines on production, storage and application of lithium ion batteries in EVs.In a four page internal communication note that was sent out to dealers and stakeholders, the company said it has recalled one of the two damaged scooters to the factory and is investigating the incident to know more details about the internal root causes to the triggering of thermal runaway event in the particular battery.
ETAuto had first reported the incident and reached out to the company for an explanation on what went wrong and how they planned to avoid a repeat in future, but has received no direct response so far. The videos have ignited a debate on whether regulations need to be strengthened to ensure safety of batteries and a screening process of quality of components being imported be introduced.
“We welcome, if the Government or the concerned regulatory body wants to issue detailed guidelines on the manufacturing, testing and validation methods, transportation, storage and usage of the Lithium batteries to the EV OEMs, and safety manuals and checklists to the dealers and the end consumers, and the frequent service/health check-up/maintenance protocols of the Lithium batteries while they are in use and idle conditions,” the startup added in its four-page official note.
Furthermore it said, “this incident motivates the company to improve their safety records and resolve to work extraordinarily hard to make lithium batteries accessible and affordable for the common man and democratize EV technology.”
Prior to this, Hyundai Motor India recalled 456 units of its electric crossover Kona in December last year over battery fire issues.
Why do batteries catch fire in EVs?
Battery fires are not unique to the auto industry but it’s always been very difficult to pinpoint the exact root cause of the fire. The modern automobile is a glorious tangle of wires and a simple short circuit can lead to a fire. Unlike the ICE vehicle though, EVs use bigger and more complex lithium ion batteries. Primarily, lithium batteries catch fire if they have been improperly manufactured or damaged, or if the software that operates the battery is not designed perfectly.
The major weakness of lithium-ion batteries is the use of organic liquid electrolytes, which are volatile and flammable when operating at high temperatures. Any severe external force such as a crash can also lead to chemical leakage.
What drew media attention in the PURE EV case is that a fire incident appears to have occurred in both the scooters while playing on the road. Though it is still not clear when and where one of the videos was taken.
Industry experts have also speculated whether poor quality of imported lithium ion cells–a key component of the battery that is not produced in India, could be the reason for the fires. A significant proportion of EV components are sourced from China where quality standards vary widely.
Blame it on the media
In the note, the company also came down heavily on media for hyping up the incident and deliberately targeting it.
“It’s unfortunate that many individuals have immediately drawn wilful and scripted conclusions on the PURE batteries/vehicles. All these paid vendetta being executed on one specific brand by making one video viral while simply ignoring the plethora of incidents happening across multiple EVs and ICE vehicles in India, and including many EV/Battery factories had major fire incidents. Even the best quality batteries made by world class manufacturers have gone for scary thermal runaway events, and multiple ICE vehicle fire incidents go unreported everyday,” it said.
“These individuals/ influencers have deliberately tried to malign Pure by being the judge, the jury and the executioner in this specific incident. By conveying that THIS specific event has rattled the nascent EV industry, the entire EV industry has been maligned,” it added. “Denigrating capabilities of the one specific EV company by quick media/social-media trials & judgements and without following due diligence will kill the sentiments of the entire public who are interested in EVs and indeed the pace of the innovation.”
Also read:
