Why electric scooters are caught in a cycle of fires

Bad cells and weak heat management systems in electric vehicles can start a fire. Sometimes the problem is a lithium battery not suited to India's hot climate, but damage in an accident or wrong charging can also make a good battery fire-prone

- Nandini.Sengupta

Rising petrol prices have stoked demand for electric two-wheelers, but the spate of e-scooter fires last month might dampen buyers’ enthusiasm. Transport minister Nitin Gadkari has told the industry to get to the root of the problem and fix it. But as batteries are complex systems there may be no easy answers.

Experts say faulty battery management systems, cell chemistry, and charging could start a fire alone or in combination with other factors. Electric vehicle industry pioneer Chetan Maini – who launched India’s first electric car, Reva, and is currently VC of Sun Mobility – said EV fires are rare “but can be caused by the use of low-quality cells, high-temperature exposure, inadequate thermal management systems, assembly/manufacturing issues, inadequate battery management control systems and poor charging management, among other factors.”

He said lithium-ion batteries typically degrade more at high temperatures, “, especially at a higher state of charge. Hence, for smaller form-factor vehicles (like scooters and three-wheelers) that have built-in batteries (but no thermal management), the charging should be done in cooler areas (like under a shade).” If the batteries are removable, they should be removed and charged indoors as charging under the sun in the summer months can cause trouble, Maini said.