Yogesh Kumar Goyal
The recent increase in the number of fire incidents in electric vehicles has raised the question of safety. Questions are also being raised that even though electric vehicles are the need of the hour from an environmental point of view, were they taken off the roads only to garner accolades without proper testing or scrutiny?
In the wake of the energy crisis and to reduce pollution, the government is promoting electric vehicles (e-vehicles) in the country. For this, steps like concession in procurement and exemption in taxes have been taken. This has increased the enthusiasm of people towards these vehicles. At present around 11 lakh e-vehicles are plying on the roads. According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations, more than four lakh e-vehicles were sold in the financial year 2021-22 itself.
Especially the demand for battery operated scooters is increasing very fast. About forty thousand e-scooters were sold this year only in the month of March. In April this figure increased further. One of the reasons for this is that due to the ever-increasing prices of petrol and diesel, people are also getting attracted towards e-vehicles. But along with this a big danger has also started to scare.
The recent increase in the number of fire incidents in electric vehicles has raised the question of safety. Questions are also being raised that even though electric vehicles are the need of the hour from an environmental point of view, were they taken off the roads only to garner accolades without proper testing or scrutiny?
Last week, an engineering student in Bhopal narrowly escaped an accident when a scooter caught fire while starting it. Last month, a person was killed when the battery of a charging scooter exploded at home in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. An eighty-year-old man died when a scooter battery caught fire in Nizamabad near Hyderabad. Countless such incidents have come to the fore in recent months. Concerned over the increasing incidents of fire in e-scooters, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had called a meeting of electric vehicle manufacturers on April 25.
In this meeting, companies were advised not to launch new vehicles in the market till the investigation of fire incidents is completed. However, after repeated such accidents, now companies themselves are getting themselves investigated as to why such problems are occurring with the batteries. After the strict stand of the government, many companies withdrew their scooters.
The strict stand of the government regarding such accidents is justified. This issue is also serious because it is directly related to the safety of the people. That’s why the government became active and tightened the electric vehicle manufacturers. The government has also said that after the report of the panel of experts appointed by it to investigate such cases, strict action will be taken against the guilty companies. The government has also indicated that it will soon issue guidelines regarding the quality of electric vehicles.
It is noteworthy that after incidents of fire in electric vehicles came to the fore, the Central Government had ordered experts from Center for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES), DRDO and IISc (Bangalore) to investigate such cases. Experts in the committee’s preliminary inquiry have pointed to defects in battery cells or design in almost all two-wheeler fire incidents in the country. Experts will now work closely with automakers on battery-related issues.
Actually, lithium-ion batteries are installed in electric vehicles, which are also used in mobiles, laptops etc. The beauty of these batteries is that they are not only very light, but they can also store more energy. Where acid lead battery can store only 25 watts per kilogram of energy per hour, nickel hydride battery can store 100 watts of energy per hour, while lithium ion battery is capable of storing up to 150 watts. This battery also lasts for a long time, that’s why its trend is also increasing, but at the same time there is a lot of risk in it.
Apart from Lithium Ion, Lithium Phosphate batteries are also used in some places in the world. It also tolerates high heat. Whereas Lithium Ion batteries are not capable of withstanding very high heat. Because of this, the problems of fire are coming to the fore. However, Lithium Phosphate batteries are cheaper than Lithium Ion. Lithium-ion batteries work better in low temperatures, but in high temperature areas, they are at increased risk of exploding when the temperature increases.
In such a situation, the big question arises whether the battery packs in electric scooters are not being used according to the environment of India? In fact, many manufacturers have imported climate-oriented batteries for electric vehicles in countries like the US, but have not tested them for Indian conditions.
However, many types of safety arrangements have also been made in lithium-ion batteries. Connected to each cell in the battery pack is an electronic system (battery management system) that continuously monitors the voltage and current passing through the batteries, including temperature sensors. But still the big question is why are the batteries of scooters catching on fire? According to auto experts, lithium-ion batteries emit more heat.
When batteries heat up, heat builds up rapidly, so a heat sink should be used to keep them cool. But since these batteries are moved from place to place, battery manufacturers do not use heat sinks to keep cost and weight down. Although cars with higher kWh batteries also use heatsinks and coolants, scooters have not yet worked well on battery cooling.
However, the companies selling the e-scooters have not been able to give any clear reason for the fire in the batteries. But in this regard, Okinawa EV must say that a major reason for this could be a short circuit, which could also be the result of negligence in charging the scooter. In fact, there are many batteries in the battery pack, which are placed very close and in such a situation that even a small mistake causes a short circuit in one battery, then the risk of fire in the rest of the batteries also increases. Experts say that the battery used in e-scooters comes with a plastic cabinet. When the battery heats up, sometimes it melts the plastic cabinet as well as the circuits involved in it, and the battery catches fire.
Electric vehicles have become our need now. Their use is also increasing continuously in the country. But if such accidents keep happening in them, then people will start avoiding buying them. This may give a blow to the electric vehicle industry of India. Therefore, for the complete safety of e-vehicles, it is very important to fix ethical accountability of these automakers.