Incidents of fire in electric scooters:
In the past few months, there have been many incidents of fire in electric vehicles. In these cases, fear or panic should not spread among people about EV. For this, now the government is working on making new rules for testing electric vehicles. Under this, changes will be made in the rules regarding battery management and cell use in vehicles. Starting this, the government has started talking to the electric vehicle companies whose scooters caught fire. Okinawa, Ola, Jitendra electric and the Pure EV companies are being advised to take steps to prevent future fire incidents. Because of these incidents, the government may soon issue instructions to the EV manufacturers to follow the rules. At least six incidents of fire in electric vehicles have been reported in different parts of the country in less than three weeks. On April 9, 40 electric scooters of Asia Group's Jitendra Electric Vehicles caught fire in a transport container in Nashik. Ola Electric’s S1 Pro model in Pune on March 26.
The Praise Pro model of Okinawa caught fire in Tamil Nadu. An incident was reported in Tamil Nadu on 28th March. In an incident in Chennai on March 29th, an electric scooter from Pure caught fire. Okinawa has recalled more than 3,000 of its scooters. Recently, State-of-the-art Resource Center of India CEO Amitabh Kant had said that the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) should recall the batches involved in the recent accident. After this, Okinawa decided to recall more than three thousand of its scooters on 16th April. Union Minister Mr. Nitin had expressed apprehension in the Parliament on the cases of fire in the SUV that the reason for these incidents could also be high temperature. Still, he had assured to find out the cause of the fire, for which a forensic investigation has been ordered. He had also said that the government would take action after finding out the cause of the fire.
Union Transport and Highways Minister of India warning to EV companies:
Incidents of fire in electric scooters are not taking the name of stopping. There have been several cases of electric scooters catching on fire across the country. The latest case is being told of Telangana, where on April 20th, a sudden fire broke out in an electric scooter kept inside a house in Telangana, and the battery of this scooter exploded. An 80-year-old man also died in the incident, and two others were badly injured. It is being told that this is the first incident of death due to fire in an electric scooter. This incident also happened with the Pure EV electric scooter. The police have registered a case against the electric scooter company Pure EV regarding this accident. In another incident, a red-colored Pure EV electric scooter was engulfed in flames. A video related to this incident is going viral, in which Pure EV company's electric scooter is seen burning. The government has taken seriously the incidents of fire in electric scooters coming from across the country. Taking a strict stand on government matters, a high-level inquiry has been ordered.
Union Transport and Highways Minister of India have warned electric vehicle makers in a strict tone. Mr. Nitin has given a clear message that if companies are found guilty, strict action will be taken against them. The Union Minister wrote in his tweet, that in the last two months, many accidents related to electric two-wheelers have come to the fore. Unfortunately, some people lost their lives and many got injured. We have integrated an expert committee to look into these incidents. Based on the report, we will issue notices to the defaulting companies. We will soon issue guidelines to improve the quality of electric vehicles. Mr. Nitin also said in his tweet that the government can also take action to recall the defective vehicles. In his tweet, Mr. Nitin said, if any company is found to be negligent in any process, it will be heavily fined and all defective vehicles will also be ordered to be taken back immediately. Let us tell you that the Central Government has ordered the experts of CFE ES i.e. Center for Explosive and Environment Safety, DR DO and II SC Bangalore to investigate.
These organizations will conduct a forensic investigation of every incident of fire. In these accidents, incidents of fire in Okinawa, Ola electric, and Pure EV scooters came to light. Incidents of fire in electric scooters have been coming to the fore continuously for the last two months. On the other hand, electric companies are also getting their level investigated regarding these accidents and are trying to find out what is the problem with the batteries of their scooters. Some companies have also recalled their electric scooters. In the past, Okinawa, sensing this danger, announced the recall of 3,215 electric scooters of its famous model Okinawa Pro. There are electric scooters that have been sold, but the company will now recall them. A health check-up of the recalled scooters will be done and if any deficiency is found in it, it will also be rectified immediately.
The government did revolutionary work in the EV sector:
The electric vehicle is ready to become the need of our future. The only problem was then only a better electric charging infrastructure across the country, which seems to be getting completed now. Citizens of the country can get a good charging infrastructure. For this, the government is working on several schemes simultaneously, including giving discounts on the prices of vehicles as well as creating a charging infrastructure for vehicles. Recently, we told you that major companies related to the country's energy sector like IOC, BP CL, and HPCL are busy with this work vigorously. Now the government has also taken a step forward in this direction. According to the information, the Automotive Research Association of India i.e. AR AI is engaged in developing fast chargers for vehicles. Along with this, the government is also talking about making vehicle chargers at 22,000 petrol pumps spread across the country.
Under the scheme, a charging station will be built every 25 km on a highway. At the same time, a charging station will be installed within a radius of three kilometers in cities. Let us tell you that the Automotive Research Association of India has started developing chargers for prototype. The prototype for this has already been developed, and its charger will be ready by December 2022. AR AI has been directed to finalize the charger by October 2022, so that it can be put into use by December. For information, let us tell you that the country's state-run petroleum company BP CL and IOC will set up 22,000 metric vehicles charging stations in the country, in which BP CL will set up 7,000, HP CL 5,000 and IOC 10,000 EV charging stations in the country. Apart from this, work is being done to install charging points on the road as well as in the market.
Along with this, petrol pumps have also been allowed to set up vehicle charging facilities on their premises. The government expects that by the year 2030, up to 30% of the sales of private cars can be achieved. Commercial vehicles sales can be up to 70%. The same electric buses are expected to account for up to 40% of the sales, and two-wheelers and three-wheelers are expected to account for 80% of the sales. For the charging of EV vehicles, options like solar and biomass are being worked out. Let us tell you that India has the fourth-largest renewable energy capacity in the world, with 145 GW. On the other hand, if the problem of charging infrastructure is solved, then buying an electric car will be very economical for you. Even though the electric car may seem a bit strange to you, it will be more economical than the petrol and diesel car.
Their maintenance and running cost is very less. As an estimate, a petrol car costs INR 6.5/kilometer, while an electric car costs only INR 0.50/kilometer. The present situation is not hidden from anyone. The price of petrol is beyond zero. In such a situation, with these steps of the government, the biggest problems of those who buy these vehicles will be removed. At present, people complain about the time taken to charge the battery and the inconvenience caused by long-distance travel due to the absence of a charging station. The demand for three-wheelers will increase. With the establishment of a network of conceptual stations, people will be able to take their vehicles on long journeys as well. With the establishment of a network of conceptual stations, people will be able to take their vehicles on long journeys as well.
What is battery swapping policy?
There has been a lot of excitement about electric vehicles in India. New policy for electric vehicles is being made continuously at the government level. Meanwhile, State-of-the-art Resource Center of India has issued a draft regarding the battery swapping policy. Under this draft, the plans to develop battery-swapping networks in cities with a population of more than 40 lakhs in the first phase. At the same time, Resource Center has said that cities with a population of more than 5 lakh, including the headquarters of state capitals, and union territories, will be included in the second phase. According to the draft, in this policy, priority will be given to such cities, where the number of two-wheelers and three-wheelers is increasing rapidly. Any person can make his station with the battery at any place, but for this, the set standards and fixed safety rules will be followed.
On the salient features of the battery saving policy draft, it has been recommended to keep the price of electric vehicles low according to this draft. It has also been said in the draft that the registration of vehicles without batteries should be approved so that customers can get the battery installed according to their convenience. The draft further states that any person or company can set up battery swapping stations at any location as per the set standards. It has also been said in the draft that public battery charging stations should be given separate electricity so that it cannot be used for other purposes. There has also been talking of providing electricity at concessional rates at public battery charging stations so that the cost of battery charging can be reduced. In this draft prepared by State-of-the-art Resource Center of India, the GST council has been advised to reduce the difference in tax rates on TV batteries and parts. Let us tell you that at present there is 18% GST on batteries, while only 5% tax is levied on SUVs. In this draft, Resource Center has emphasized that the same incentive should apply to battery swapping.
State-of-the-art Resource Center of India has said that the battery swapping facility will be introduced under the battery such service model, in which the interoperability between the EV and the battery is preserved so that the battery swapping facility can be implemented successfully. According to the battery swapping policy draft prepared by State-of-the-art Resource Center of India, each battery will be given a unique identification number, which will make it easier to identify the battery. Along with this, the rules and standards related to battery testing will be made more stringent so that incidents of fire in the battery can be avoided. It is worth noting that Finance Minister of India had also announced the introduction of a battery swapping policy in her budget speech of 2022. State-of-the-art Resource Center of India has sought feedback on this draft by June 5.
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