The journey of fire in the battery of electric two-wheeler is not taking its name to stop. This time the new case is related to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. Here on Saturday morning, the battery of Corbett 14 (Corbett 14) electric scooter exploded in a house. This resulted in the death of one person. While three other family members were injured. The name of the deceased was Shiv Kumar. His wife and their two children were badly injured in this accident. After the family’s cries, neighbors came and took Shiv Kumar to the hospital, but he did not survive. It is being told that he had bought an e-scooter a day earlier. His battery was kept in the bedroom for charge. Let us tell you that it started with the Ola electric scooter on March 26, 2022.
Telangana also the whole family was scorched
Four days ago an 80-year-old man died due to EV in Nizamabad city of Telangana. The battery of his PureEV electric scooter exploded after being charged all night. The deceased was identified as B Ramaswamy of Subhashnagar in Nizamabad city. This electric scooter was put on charging at 12.30 pm. After which it exploded at 4 in the morning. That is, the battery exploded within 3.30 hours. The scooter caught fire. Several family members were also injured while trying to douse the fire. According to the police, Ramaswamy’s son B Prakash is the owner of an electric two-wheeler. The local police have registered a case under section 304-A of the IPC against the company that makes PureEV.
Few cases of fire in electric two-wheeler
1. The first case of EV catching fire was reported on 26 March. At that time, a blue colored OLA S1 Pro electric scooter parked on the roadside in Pune caught fire. The video of fire and smoke coming out of the battery compartment of the scooter had gone viral.
2. On 26 March itself, a fire broke out in an Okinawa electric scooter in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. Two people who were driving the scooter died in this incident. It was one father and the other son.
3. On March 28, an incident of fire broke out in an electric scooter of PureEV in Chennai. Today a new incident has come to the fore. In the last seven months, 6 cases of PureEV scooter catching fire have been reported.
4. On April 11, several scooters of Jitendra Electric caught fire simultaneously in Nashik. They were being taken from one place to another in a truck. The government has also ordered an inquiry in this matter.
5. On 18 April, a dealership agency in Okinawa in Tamil Nadu was burnt to ashes. Sources related to the matter said that first the fire started in a scooter after which the fire spread. The company has also recalled 3,215 units in the past.
6. On April 21, an 80-year-old man was killed by an EV in Nizamabad city of Telangana. The battery of his PureEV electric scooter exploded after being charged all night.
Expert told the reason for the explosion in the battery of EV
Live Hindustan spoke to YouTuber auto expert Amit Khare (Ask CarGuru) about the incidents of EV battery fire. He gave 5 reasons for the fire or explosion in the battery used in the electric vehicle. Along with this, important tips were also given about how to avoid it.
1. Melting Plastic Cabinet: All batteries used in EV are coming with plastic cabinet. In such a situation, when they are hot, then the plastic melts. Along with this, the circuits attached to it also start melting. This greatly increases the risk of fire. Even though the battery is fully packed, it still discharges heat. When the battery gets hot, this heat discharge starts increasing rapidly.
2. Low heat sink: Most batteries are lithium ion based. Lithium ion releases more heat. In this case, the cover above the shell should be stronger for this. It should use a heat sink, but battery operators are not using it right now. The major reason for this is also the swappable battery. These batteries are carried from one place to another. In such a situation, if the heat sink in the battery is increased, then its weight will also increase. Due to this there may be some problem in lifting it. Which is why it has been deliberately kept light.
3. Short circuit due to current: The biggest reason for the fire in the trains during the charging station is due to short circuit. This current is so heavy that if the joints of the battery are not tight, then the possibility of short circuit increases in it. A charger of up to 7kw is used in two-wheelers. It is about 5 to 7 times more current than the air conditioner used in the house. So many times due to such a powerful charger, there is a danger of short circuit in the battery. Our technician is not yet ready to handle this much current.
4. Battery heating up by temperature: The temperature is increasing rapidly in the country these days. There is also the problem of fire in vehicles. In electric two-wheelers, the battery is used under the seat. In such a situation, when the car is parked in the sun, then its body temperature becomes 70 degrees or more. The lower part of the seat is air tight, so its temperature also becomes the same. When we start the car, it takes more power of the motor to move it forward. This raises the temperature even more. Because of this, the vehicle starts getting small and many times due to heat, the battery catches fire.
5. Manufactured by Chinese Manufacturers: Most of the manufacturers of batteries are Chinese and Taiwanese. In such a situation, due to reducing the weight and cost of the battery, the heat sink is not used well in it. The cooling of the battery has not yet been worked out well. Due to this negligence, there are incidents of fire in the battery of the vehicle. On the other hand, heat sinks and coolants are also used in cars with more kWh batteries. It keeps the car battery very cool.