How to keep your electric scooter safe from risk of fire

Safety has been one of the major concerns for electric vehicle owners. The latest fire incident in Pune, involving an Ola Electric scooter has reignited the concern. This comes as the latest addition to the list of EV fires we have witnessed across India over the last several months. While electric two-wheelers have been majorly involved in previous EV fire incidents, in some cases, electric cars too caught fire.

Unlike the highly flammable fossil fuel like petrol or diesel, electric vehicles run on lithium-ion or lead-acid batteries. The risk of fire in electric vehicles is significantly lower compared to their internal combustion engine-powered counterparts. However, the intensity of an EV fire is much higher.

Here are some key tips to prevent your electric scooter from catching fire.

Park the EV in a cool, dry place

Avoid parking the electric vehicle in direct sunlight or leaving the EV in hot surroundings. The lithium-ion battery pack gets immensely hot when it is in use while the EV runs. Keeping the EV under direct sunlight or in hot surroundings prevents the battery from cooling down, which can result in a thermal incident leading to a fire. Parking the EV under a shade and in a cool ventilated place helps the battery to cool down naturally.

Avoid charging the EV immediately after riding

Avoid charging the battery of the electric scooter immediately after riding it. Charge the scooter at least after 30 minutes of riding. This will allow the battery management system (BMS) onboard the EV to cool down the battery pack. Charging immediately after riding it won't allow the BMS to reduce the heat level of the battery, which may result in a fire incident. Also, following this practice will ensure a longer lifespan for the battery pack.

Always use OEM's original charger

Using an aftermarket EV charger is tempting considering the lower cost and easy availability. However, it is always suggested to avoid that temptation as you should only use the manufacturer-provided genuine EV charger. An aftermarket charger may result in a fault to the battery or a thermal issue, which could result in damage to the battery pack and even fire as well.

Protect the battery from damages

The majority of the electric scooters come equipped with batteries that can be taken out of the EV and charged separately. While this certainly offers convenience to the EV owner, it also comes with the risk of damage to the battery casing. A damage to the battery casing while transporting the battery pack to one place from another may affect the internal mechanism, which could lead to a thermal inefficiency and eventually to a fire incident.

How to keep your electric scooter safe from risk of fire

Step 1 :

Park the EV in a cool and dry place

Step 2 :

Avoid charging the EV immediately after riding

Step 3 :

Always use OEM provided battery charger

Step 4 :

Protect the battery pack from damage