Telangana: 80-Yr-Old Man Dies, 3 Others Injured After E-Scooter Battery Explodes; Gadkari Orders Probe

An 80-year-old man died, and two others were left injured when the detachable battery of an electric scooter was left on charging inside a home in Telangana's Nizamabad district combusted and triggered flames, leaving burn injuries. The entire incident took place on the night of April 20, when the battery was left on charge. Identified as Ramaswamy, died from multiple burn injuries after the blast. His son, wife and daughter-in-law also suffered injuries in their attempts to save him, as per NDTV report.

Reports suggest that Prakash had been using the electric scooter for nearly a year. Thus far, the police have registered an official case of causing death due to negligence against Pure EV, the manufacturer.

On the back of this incident, Pure EV also released an official statement stating: "We deeply regret the incident and offer condolences to the family of the victim."

The manufacturer also added that it has no record of the user's sale of this vehicle or service in its database and is checking if the vehicle was purchased through a second-hand sale.

There is a massive concern around EV vehicles at a time when the central government is pushing the idea of going green; however, multiple instances of accidents by fire have been reported.

Transport Minister Takes Note Of Accident

Nitin Gadkari, Union Transport Minister, stated that an expert committee would probe the entire accident involving EVs and also talked about heavy penalties, among a few other actions, sending a strong message.

"Several mishaps involving Electric Two Wheelers have come to light in last two months. It is most unfortunate that some people have lost their lives, and several have been injured in these incidents," Gadkari said.

We have constituted an Expert Committee to enquire into these incidents and make recommendations on remedial steps.

Based on the reports, we will issue necessary orders on the defaulting companies. We will soon issue quality-centric guidelines for Electric Vehicles.

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) April 21, 2022

Earlier this month, a clip of an e-scooter from Ola caught on fire went viral on social media that triggered a government investigation. In another instance, a scooter from startup Pure EV was also seen ablaze, and a burning Okinawa Autotech Pvt e-bike killed two individuals as well.

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