Ola Electric on Saturday said that it was investigating the incident of its electric scooter catching fire in Pune and will take appropriate action.
The 31-second clip elaborates on the scooter, where it is seen parked on the roadside of a busy commercial area, completely engulfed in fire. While the issue is still under investigation, the reason is speculated to be a thermal runaway, because an exothermic reaction occurs inside a lithium-ion battery when it is damaged or short-circuited.
A lithium-ion battery on fire is proved to be difficult to extinguish. In contact with water, it immediately produces hydrogen gas and lithium-hydroxide. Hydrogen gas is a major hindrance due to its extreme flammability. Just to note, the Ola S1 gets a 2.97 kWh battery while the S1 pro gets a 3.98kWh battery.
Whatever the reason may be, an electric scooter catching fire like this is a scary incident and will deter future buyers who would have been interested in considering the purchase of an electric scooter, especially from Ola.
Ola S1 Pro Caught Fire in Maharashtra. The vehicle already has temperature management issues as reported by many YouTubers and auto experts. #OlaS1 #OLAFIRE #olas1pro #evfire #ev #bhash @OlaElectric @bhash @varundubey pic.twitter.com/KLFTCnoVAV
— Manjunatha M (@nileshj100) March 26, 2022
Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), India CEO Saharsh Damani suspects a thermal runway for the scooter getting caught with fire.
Time for real test….welcome summers…!!Someone failed…someone passed. Which is a family scooter? #EV #HeatingIssue @OlaElectric @atherenergy @Bajajauto @FADA_India @VinkeshGulati https://t.co/hLHmQyUcHM
— Saharsh Damani, MBA, CFA, MS (Finance) (@saharshd) March 24, 2022
Ola Response on that Incident
In a concerning turn of events, Ola S1 Pro caught fire due to a thermal runaway in Maharashtra. The video was shared by a user on Twitter as he wrote “Ola S1 Pro Caught Fire in Maharashtra. The vehicle already has temperature management issues as reported by many YouTubers and auto experts. #OlaS1 #OLAFIRE #olas1pro #evfire #ev #bhash @OlaElectric @bhash @varundubey”
Adding to the same thread, the user posted a picture of the details of the electric scooter that burst into flames.
In its statement regarding the incident, Ola said, “We are aware of an incident in Pune that happened with one of our scooters and are investigating to understand the root cause and will share more updates in the next few days.
We’re in constant touch with the customer who is safe. Vehicle safety is of paramount importance at Ola and we are committed to the highest quality standards in our products. We take this incident seriously.”
Our statement on the Pune incident. pic.twitter.com/aSX1DlTBmd
— Ola Electric (@OlaElectric) March 26, 2022
