Electric Scooter Catches Fire: Another electric scooter was gutted in the fire. The case is of Warangal in Telangana. Here the PureEV electric scooter caught fire when two people were travelling on it.
This was the fourth case of a PureEV scooter catching fire in the last seven months. By the way, cases of fire in the battery of scooters of many EV makers are coming to the fore more and more. This includes many startup companies including Ola, Okinawa, and EVOLS.
Now the question arises that what suddenly happened was that the cases of fire in the electric vehicle started increasing rapidly. In a way, the government wants to promote EVs by giving subsidies and road tax exemptions.
But the cases of fire are starting to scare people. Could this have an impact on EV sales as well? Know the reasons for that.
1. Melting Plastic Cabinet: All the batteries used in EV are coming with plastic cabinets. In such a situation, when they are hot, then the plastic melts. Along with this, the circuits attached to it also start melting.
This greatly increases the risk of fire. Even though the battery is fully packed, it still discharges heat. When the battery gets hot, this heat discharge starts increasing rapidly.
2. Low heat sink: Most batteries are lithium ion-based. Lithium-ion releases more heat. In this case, the cover above the shell should be stronger for this. It should use a heat sink, but battery operators are not using it right now.
The major reason for this is also the swappable battery. These batteries are carried from one place to another. In such a situation, if the heat sink in the battery is increased, then its weight will also increase.
Due to this, there may be some problems in lifting it. This is why it has been deliberately kept light.
3. Short circuit due to current: The biggest reason for the fire in the trains during the charging station is due to the short circuit. This current is so heavy that if the joints of the battery are not tight, then the possibility of short circuit increases in it.
A charger of up to 7kw is used in two-wheelers. It is about 5 to 7 times more current than the air conditioner used in the house. So many times due to such a powerful charger, there is a danger of short circuits in the battery. Our technician is not yet ready to handle this much current.
4. Battery heating up by temperature: The temperature is increasing rapidly in the country these days. There is also the problem of fire in vehicles. In electric two-wheelers, the battery is used under the seat.
In such a situation, when the car is parked in the sun, then its body temperature becomes 70 degrees or more. The bottom part of the seat is airtight, so its temperature also becomes the same. When we start the car, it takes more power from the motor to move it forward.
This raises the temperature even more. Due to this reason, the car starts getting small and many times due to heat, the battery catches on fire.
5. Manufactured by Chinese Manufacturers: Most of the manufacturers of batteries are Chinese and Taiwanese. In such a situation, due to reducing the weight and cost of the battery, the heat sink is not used well in it.
The cooling of the battery has not yet worked out well. Due to this negligence, there are incidents of fire in the battery of the vehicle. On the other hand, heat sinks and coolants are also used in cars with more kWh batteries. It keeps the car battery very cool.
Lithium-ion and lithium phosphate batteries are used all over the world. The speciality of Lithium Phosphate batteries is that they can tolerate heat.
Whereas in Lithium-Ion this is not the case. Because of this, the problem of fire in these batteries is coming. Both types of batteries are made in China.
Lithium phosphate is cheaper than lithium-ion but has a much lower power density. Because of this, both its size and weight increase.
Due to the news of the continuous fire in electric vehicles, fear is sitting in the minds of people. However, millions of EVs are sold a year. Whereas the cases of fire in these are much less than 1%.
In such a situation, Indians are ready to take so many risks. Anyway, the option of insurance always remains with the people. Most of the e-vehicles are parked outside the house, so the risk of a bigger accident is averted.
1. Charge the two-wheeler battery at a place in the house that is an outdoor area. Do not place it on a cloth or wooden surface.
2. Do not leave the battery on charging overnight. Charge as long as you are awake. Turn off charging while sleeping.
3. Avoid charging if the e-vehicle gets soaked in water. Even after drying and cleaning thoroughly, put it on charging.
4. Do not ignore the slightest smell while driving. Immediately stop the car and first open the seat. So that the heat inside goes out.
5. Avoid taking the vehicle of a Chinese manufacturer. Instead, go to the vehicles which are being made in our factory here.