What’s Happening?
EV is the future of mobility for the human race. True, but what about EVs taking our dear life? Very recently, there have been a lot of sightings where electric scooters caught fire. Ola Electric scooter is the first name on this list. On March 27, Ola Electric S1 Pro scooter in Pune caught fire. The company said it would investigate the root cause and share the update in a few days. In Chennai, an Okinawa scooter caught fire when left to charge overnight. The company claimed that it’s a clear case of a short circuit caused by negligence in charging the vehicle.
Now there are a lot of questions that come to mind – are imported batteries compromising on quality, or are auto companies not checking the scooters before the rollout? EVs are supposed to help the environment and people using them. The growing scepticism of electric scooters will directly affect sales. It would seem illogical to pay about 1 lakh for an electric scooter that would later burn in fire.
What’s The Problem?
The auto companies will have to focus on batteries. Engineers will have to determine a higher performance of e-scooters for longer distances in hotter climates. It seems the external heat is affecting the batteries.
Another critical challenge with Ola is that it can’t retain key people from the engineering team. Top executives at Ola Electric have spent only 5-11 months in the company. This points to a more profound tension beneath the surface.
What Lies Ahead?
Both Ola Electric and the government are investigating the fire events. Until they come out with a solution, there could be a demand downside in the near term. People are dying in EV fire accidents. This has already created flak in the market. The companies will have to work on these issues before rolling out scooters in the showroom.
