Battery electric vehicles are the new talking point everywhere in the automotive industry. In search of a sustainable solution to power the vehicles, electric vehicles look perfect for the immediate future. Here in India electric vehicles especially electric scooters and two-wheelers are firing the sales of the vehicle market and also firing quite literally.
In FY2020 – FY2021, nearly 134,853 units of electric vehicles were registered in India and In the next financial year, the number rose to 419,812 units, registering a growth of 211.3%. Owing to the growth are the elevated sales of electric scooters and two-wheelers in India. But lately, because of some latest events, people may reconsider buying them.
- Recently, there have been multiple instances where electric scooters caught fire with a so-called normal operation. Why so-called? Well, the investigating parties aren’t sure the exact reason for them catching fire.
- But out of curiosity, we thought why not look at the electric scooters through an engineer’s lens? Hence here is our opinion of why could these engineered machines might burn.
To know what exactly is going on, we first need to know what goes underneath these electric vehicles.
What electric vehicles are made up of?
Unlike their internal combustion counterparts, electric scooters don’t have many moving parts. However, the essential components for a battery-electric two-wheeler to work are the battery, electric motor, and the Battery management system.
Batteries power the motor, the motor provides the drive to the vehicle, and the battery management system acts as protection during charging and discharging processes. In the end, there are wires used to connect one component to other.
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There are the potential causes of electric scooters catching fire. But why and what among these parts are failing in these vehicles.
Why are electric scooters/electric two-wheelers catching fire?
The primary reason for an electric scooter catching fire is rushing the vehicles. Many electric two-wheeler manufacturers rush in order to capture the market. And this rush might now allow a proper time that is allocated to the research and development.
- Where the established players spend years researching and simulating, the rushed product might now have comprehensive research. This may cause some serious repercussions.
- Another reason for a better electric two-wheeler catching fire is the battery. The majority of the players in the market use lithium-ion batteries and the construction of these batteries includes components like lithium, cobalt and nickel. Among them, cobalt is highly flammable. Hence the key factor is the issues with the Battery Management System (BMS).
- Typically the battery simulation includes the end-of-life. This is where the condition is simulated and put to test in various different environments. And the deterioration of the battery can take any time between 0 and 7 years to simulate.
- At times, the consumer might also be at fault for tampering with the cables and wires by installing some aftermarket accessories.
- Over that, some manufacturers are also providing fast-charging solutions which is still a fairly new development. Hence the time is the variable to get this technology to full use.
So, the aforementioned could be the reasons for an electric scooter or better electric two-wheelers catching fire. Let us know in the comment section, what are your thoughts on these vehicles catching fire?
