Centre Mulls To Penalise Companies For Electric Scooter Fires

New Delhi: As several cases of electric scooters catching fire have come to the fore, the central government is mulling penalizing them with heavy fines and mandate recalls if the concerned companies are found to be negligent as part of new "quality-focused" regulations.

Taking to the micro-blogging site Twitter, Gadkari suggested that companies may take advance action to recall all defective batches of vehicles immediately.

''Several mishaps involving Electric Two Wheelers have come to light in the last two months. It is most unfortunate that some people have lost their lives and several have been injured in these incidents,'' he tweeted.

The Minister further informed that the government has constituted an Expert Committee to enquire into these incidents and make recommendations on remedial steps.

''Based on the reports, we will issue necessary orders on the defaulting companies. We will soon issue quality-centric guidelines for Electric Vehicles,'' he added.

Notably, there have been nearly a dozen e-scooters caught or involved in the fire, including one made by SoftBank Group-backed Ola Electric, raising safety concerns among some buyers.

The e-scooters from Indian brands such as Okinawa and PureEV have also been involved in fire incidents.

If the same continues then it will not only destroy the electric vehicle market but also hinder Prime Minister Narendra Modi's carbon reduction and climate goals.

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