Battery Defects Caused EV Fires, Says DRDO India; Indian Government Seeks Explanation From Manufacturers

The Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) India's Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety has found serious defects in EV batteries, including the designs of the battery packs and modules, as a part of an investigation regarding the electric scooters catching fire in India. In recent times, there have been multiple incidents of Electric Scooters catching fire with some resulting in deaths as well as severe injuries to people in India.The probe has found severe defects in the batteries including poor quality cells, lack of fuse, issues with thermal management, and battery management system (BMS).According to media reports, these defects occur because the electric two-wheeler manufacturers like Okinawa Autotech, Pure EV, Jitendra Electric Vehicles, Ola Electric and Boom Motors may have used "lower-grade materials to cut costs" despite submitting A-grade cells for testing, taking advantage of the loosely-framed rules in the absence of surprise checks.The Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry of India has now summoned representatives of these EV manufacturers, asking them to submit an explanation of the DRDO report findings.The Indian government is currently working on new quality-centric guidelines for EVs that are expected to unveil soon.With inputs from CNBC India and The Economic Times