Pune: Experts on Monday said government bodies should set proper standards to increase the safety and quality of electric vehicles and allied equipment, such as chargers and batteries, besides focusing on end-user awareness.
Their caution comes in the wake of the Sunday night’s fire at BigBasket’s warehouse in Bavdhan Budruk off Katraj-Dehu Road bypass.
“Just providing incentives will not shape the segment. More standards and certifications should be formulated by the regulators, like the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), to promote electric vehicles and ensure their safety. An accident (like the one in Bavdhan Budruk) was expected, as there have been cases in other parts of the country where batteries or chargers have short-circuited or exploded due to over-heating,” said Debi Prasad Dash, executive director of the India Energy Storage Alliance.
“A number of companies import components and assemble them in India. But those components may not adapt to the Indian weather conditions. People also often charge their vehicles for more hours than is needed. The absence of a battery management system can disconnect the power supply and cause a lot of damage to life and property,” he said.
Ashwini Tiwary, chief executive officer and co-founder of Autobot, an elective vehicle tech start-up, said, “Proper standards are needed for India. Besides, there are often errors in the installation and the commissioning process of a charger, which must be weeded out, by ensuring proper earthing, quality circuit-breakers or protecting the equipment from lightning or thunder. Users must also be properly trained to operate the equipment.”
Source:thetimesofindia.com