E-Scooters in Flames Show High Cost of India’s Green Goals
Source：Taipei World Trade Center Liaison Office In Kolkata
From：Taipei World Trade Center Liaison Office In Kolkata
Update Time：2022/05/20
A spate of high-profile battery fires is undermining India's bid to become a leader in electric vehicles, particularly in the ubiquitous two-wheelers that ply the country's traffic-clogged roads.
Social media is awash with videos of battery-powered scooters in flames. Last month, a father and daughter died from smoke inhalation after their brand-new bike from Okinawa Autotech Pvt caught fire while it was charging overnight at home.
In another video, an Ola Electric Mobility Pvt scooter burns in Pune in the country’s west, while in another, some 40 two-wheelers made by Jitendra EV go up in smoke as they are transported in a container.
The incidents have, not surprisingly, made many Indians wary of electric vehicles — the number of people who said they wouldn’t buy an electric scooter due to safety and performance concerns jumped eightfold to 17% in the seven months through March, a survey of around 11,500 consumers conducted by LocalCircles showed. Just 2% of people are likely to buy an electric scooter in the coming six months, it found.
They’re also coming just as India, the world’s third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, is trying to get more electric vehicles on its roads. Already many consumers are reluctant to make the switch from combustion engine cars and motorcycles due to EVs’ high upfront cost and the country’s lack of charging stations, making it increasingly difficult for India to catch up with places like China and the U.S. that has made meaningful progress toward electrifying their transport fleets. About 77% of annual passenger vehicle sales in China will be electric by 2040, versus just 53% in India, BloombergNEF data show.