Days after a father and daughter passed away in Vellore after their electric bike went up in flames, the Bagayam police said that it will summon those from the showroom where the electric scooter was purchased. The scooter was from Okinawa Autotech, and as per the initial police statement, a short circuit led to the bike going up in flames.
"Those from the showroom where the bike was purchased are called in on Thursday (March 31) for enquiry. They are to be asked why the fire accident might have taken place. Other details will be asked during enquiry,” a source from the Bagayam police station told TNM. CNBC TV18 reported that authorities from Okinawa will be summoned to primarily probe the cause of the fire and to assess safety.
As per the police's previous statement, M Duraivarma (49), who was running a photo studio near Tollgate, Vellore bought a new e-bike a few days ago. He plugged the charger of his bike into an old socket in the entrance of his house and went to sleep on the night of Friday, March 25. An electrical short circuit led to the e-bike going up in flames. The police stated that the socket might be an old one with less voltage capacity to charge an e-bike. Duraivarma’s 13-year-old daughter Mohana Preethi, a student of Class 8, was also found dead along with Duraivarma at the house. Police said that they assume the father and daughter died due to suffocation, as there were no burn injuries on the bodies.
In a statement issued by Okinawa Autotech, the bike’s maker, the company offered its condolences and blamed it on negligence in charging the vehicle and said that it will wait for the complete investigation to unfold.
“This particular case has further brought to light how important it is for users to understand the correct usage and charging guidelines for EVs. As a responsible brand, time and again, we have been coming forward and taking a lot of initiatives to create awareness and educate our customers on the proper usage of electric 2-wheelers and about the possible hazards that they could experience in case of any negligence in taking proper care of the battery of the vehicle,” the statement read.
It added that it has been ensuring safety measures and standards for its customers, and said customers must “cautiously and responsibly implement the usage to avoid any foreseeable harm.”
Last week, an Ola Electric scooter spontaneously went up in flames in Pune, videos of which then went viral. The company said it was investigating the incident.
Akshay Singhal, CEO of Log9 Materials said, “These incidents sadly would become more common unless we develop ground up battery technologies suitable for Indian conditions and vehicle types, and the industry must take urgent note of this.”
On Monday, March 28, CNBC TV18 quoted government sources while saying that the Union government has taken note of the incidents, and will be probing them by deputing independent experts.