After Okinawa, Pure EV also recalls 2,000 electric scooters amid fire incidents

Days after one of India's top electric two-wheeler manufacturer Okinawa Autotech recalled more than 3,000 units of its electric scooters due to fire incidents, another Hyderabad-based EV startup has followed suit. Pure EV India, which manufactures electric scooters like ETrance, EPluto and ETryst, has recalled around 2,000 units of its electric two-wheelers amid multiple fire incidents in recent days in Telangana and Tamil Nadu.

In the latest incident, an 80-year old man succumbed to burn injuries when one of the Pure EV scooter's battery went up in flames when it was reportedly being charged indoors. Three others were reported to be injured. On Thursday, Pure EV regretted the incident, which took place in Nizamabad, near Hyderabad. The incident prompted the EV maker to issue a recall. The recalled units include ETrance+ and EPluto 7G electric scooters.

“The vehicles and batteries shall undergo a thorough check for their health. We shall inspect the battery for any imbalance issues and shall calibrate through our device Batrics Faraday. Additionally the BMS and charger calibration shall be carried out as required," said a statement issued by the electric two-wheeler manufacturer on Thursday.

Pure EV has said that it is in the process of getting further details from the concerned user and authorities about the EV fire incident. Pure EV claims that it does not have any record of sale or service availed by the user quoted in the media. “From our customer database we do not have any record of sale done or service availed by the quoted user in the media. Our dealer is exploring whether the vehicle was purchased through second hand sale from any of our first buyer," Pure EV said in the statement.

"The company shall reach out to all the customers through the dealership network and ensure an expeditious campaign for health checkups in the larger interest of all stakeholders. Pure EV takes safety of its customers and vehicles very seriously. We continue to conduct numerous service camps in the customer's interests and disseminate information related to best practices for vehicle and battery safety," the statement read.

Earlier last week, Okinawa Autotech issued a recall of 3,215 units of its electric scooter, Okinawa Praise Pro. Okinawa has recalled these electric scooters to check and fix any issues related to batteries after multiple fire incidents, including one where an entire dealership was gutted, in past few weeks. Last month, after an Ola Electric scooter caught fire in Pune, the government had ordered a probe to look into the matter. The Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) had been asked to probe the circumstances that led to the incident and also suggest remedial measures, according to the road transport ministry.

The recalls come at a time when Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has decided to talk tough against faulty EVs leading to potentially fatal fire incidents. On Thursday, Gadkari said the central government will issue necessary orders on defaulting companies after receiving the report of an expert panel that has been formed to enquire into the matter.

Earlier on Thursday, Niti Aayog came out with a draft battery swapping policy for electric vehicles and suggested incentives as well as a rigorous testing protocol for swappable batteries. The draft policy also comes at a time when there are rising concerns over safety issues around electric vehicles.