Starting April 16, Okinawa will recall 3,215 of its electric vehicles Praise Pro Scooters to address issues with the vehicles’ batteries.
Okinawa is taking this action just days after NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant requested that EV OEMs voluntarily recall batches linked to EV fires.
Ola Electric has no plans to recall any of its electric scooters at this time.
Okinawa Autotech, India’s first electric two-wheeler manufacturer, announced on April 16 that it will voluntarily recall 3,215 units of its Praise Pro Scooters to repair battery-related concerns.
The recall, according to Okinawa Autotech, is part of its comprehensive power pack health check-up camps, and the scooters will be checked for loose connectors or any damage as part of the recall and will be repaired free of charge at any of the Okinawa approved dealerships across India.
Following the recent electric vehicle (EV) scooter fire accidents, the business has launched a voluntary campaign. In March, Okinawa’s name was linked to an event in which a company’s electric scooter caught fire in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, killing two people, including a child.
“The electric 2W maker is working closely with the dealer partners to ensure that the repair experience is as per the convenience of its customers, for which the vehicle owners will be contacted individually,” Okinawa said in its statement on April 16.
The recalled Praise Pro Scooters are part of the company’s lithium-ion high-speed scooters, which also include the IPraise+, Ridge+, and OKHI-90.
Okinawa is taking this action barely days after NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant requested that EV original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) voluntarily recall batches linked to EV fires.
Talking to CNBC-TV18, Kant said this week, “Manufacturing of cells isn’t regulated… battery management system needs to be strengthened. There has been a clear partnership between battery manufacturing and battery management.”
“We have stringent testing standards but OEMs need to certify batteries to adhere to standards,” Kant added.
After a video of an Ola Electric scooter catching fire went viral on social media in the last few days, EV fires have received a lot of media attention. Following that, Okinawa was mentioned in another instance.
Ola Electric is currently not planning to take any steps to recall its EV scooters while the investigation on the cause of the fire is still on.
Other companies, including PureEV, HCD India, and Jitendra EV, have had their bikes catch fire in the middle of the road. Also in 2021, an Okinawa scooter was said to have caught fire. In the same year, a Pure EV-built ePluto scooter caught fire in Hyderabad.
It’s clear that the fight over electric scooters is heating up. “This is a very severe matter,” Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), stated in the Lok Sabha last month, “and we have ordered a forensic examination into each individual event.” When the actual technical cause of the disaster is determined, the government will take appropriate action.”
Last month, the Centre dispatched a team of independent specialists to look into the problem. “Govt to probe into how Ola Electric scooter and Okinawa’s electric bike caught fire,” according to reports. Before being released on the market, both scooters had been tested and acquired type approvals.”
According to a research estimate, the Indian EV market, which was around $220.1 Mn in 2020, is predicted to expand to $152.21 Bn by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 94.4%.
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