Amid Fire Cases, Okinawa Autotech Becomes First EV Firm To Recall Vehicles In India

Gurugram based electric vehicle manufacturer Okinawa Autotech has announced that it will recall 3,215 units of its Praise Pro Scooters voluntarily to fix any issues related to the battery in their EV. Okinawa has become the first electric vehicle maker to have recalled its EVs in India for quality check.

The recall by Okinawa has come after a father and his daughter died due to fire in their Okinawa electric scooter that was being charged at home in Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. The incident followed other mishaps linked to other brands as well, notably Ola Electric’s two wheelers.

Okinawa says that the decision is part of comprehensive power pack health check-up camps. It mentions that in these camps, the batteries will be checked for loose connectors or any damage. They will also be repaired free of cost at any of the Okinawa authorized dealerships across the country.

The Central government has ordered an independent investigation into the multiple fire incidents taking place since the onset of summers. The Union Road and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari said that appropriate action will be taken against the manufacturers if their fault is established.

Amid the fire incidents in electric vehicles in different parts of the country, NITI Ayog Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amitabh Kant too asked electric vehicles’ original equipment manufacturers (OEM) last week to recall such EV batches that were involved in fire incidents.

Okinawa stated on the recall of its e-scooters, “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. This voluntary campaign is in the wake of the recent thermal incident and in line with the company’s long-standing commitment to customer safety.”

No End to Fire

Just as the company had announced the recall of its electric scooters to check battery systems, another e-scooter Okinawa caught fire and gutted the entire dealership in Tamil Nadu. Fortunately, no casualty took place in the incident but the fire destroyed the entire showroom.

In March, an ‘Ola S1 Pro’ e-scooter caught fire while it was parked on the side of the road in Pune. Several electric scooters belonging to Jitendra Electric Vehicles were gutted in fire in Nashik 10 days ago.

Some battery makers we had tried to speak to indicate that batteries need to be specially strengthened and customised for Indian conditions, as they donot face quite the same level of extreme handling and conditions in other markets.