[hashwin]

Dodged a bullet by cancelling my Ola scooter. I have a feeling they rushed it through to get their foot in the door without properly testing in required conditions.

[shashank.nk]

Good explanation on the recent EV fires by the CEO of Ather Energy. Do watch from 2.30 onwards, its about 10 minutes long where he explains what's causing these fires, packs from China for low-speed EVs, not enough testing for our conditions etc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBr8...nnel=CNBC-TV18

[anjan_c2007]

Yet another Ola S 1 Pro scooter incident here. It moves in the reverse direction @90 kmph due to an accelerator glitch. It had refused to stop. Video in the link shows the fallen scooter to its left with the rear drive wheel spinning and spinning.

https://www.cartoq.com/ola-s1-pro-ac...h-speed-video/

This could have during its previous lifetime been a Ola taxi that was abused in the reverse gear, now scrapped. It could have taken rebirth as a two wheeler of the same brand.

[Mr.Ogre]

So lets say you got an electric scooter parked in your parking space and it is on fire - isn't there a process or SOP to handle such events. In case of an ICE vehicle on fire I am assuming Fire department to know how to handle/extinguish them. While human life is of paramount important one cannot ignore loss or damage to property. Imagine this happening in a society where scooters are usually parked next to each other. I guess this calls for strict regulation/homologation as otherwise nothing is stopping someone from importing Chinese units and selling it without any testing or certificate. With summers around I am really concerned about this issue now.

[skyocean]

I'm not sure why this cant be seen as a one off incident. Hyundai Kona caught fire, not once but many times but people don't talk the same way like they are grilling Ola. Ola may not be an automobile company, even Tesla was not one when they started.

Also there are many Ola S1 Pro`s on the road, and this was the first time one caught fire. They may have their niggles, but as a new comer to the field I'm sure if they want to be the market leader they will definitely burn the midnight oil.

As a prospective customer, my view on how the brands stand today:

Ather - old product, very noisy motor and very expensive. They have the best technology and connectivity. I have my doubts about product life. Have you seen the old Athers in Bangalore ? they sound worse than Sunny with rattling panels and what not. They cannot change or bring in a cheaper product as they have invested too much and earned too little.

Okinawa - wide product range, lacks marketing. Value for money. Doesn't have the aura of Ola or Ather, hence no one cares.

Bajaj - Always the first to put latest technology, but with Chetak they have gone ages behind. With Retro design they opted for retro tech, such a disappointment.

TVS - Great product, but doesn't even look like an EV. A techno Jupiter. Lacks technology/connectivity. Not sure why TVS cannot think out of the box.

Alibaba and Company - So many brands have sprung up like mushrooms, our so called tech experts have absolutely no comments on them.

Ola - The only one among the pack which has the potential to be the Tesla of two wheelers in India, revolutionary, great marketing. But poor delivery rate. Product is promising, but not sure why they had to write off the removable battery concept it was originally designed with. Small niggles are spoiling user experience, but are a fodder to the opponents. The great marketing is backfiring as the expectations are turning into great disappointment.

Everyone claims their product is the best and are in great demand, reality is no one is able to manufacture EVs maybe due to lack of raw materials to meet the demand. Ask yourself a question, how many of these EVs do we get to see everyday in traffic ? That should answer the great demand question.

Hypocrisy is at its best when it comes to EVs, this is never constructive.

[Apex1815]

A few observations in this regard :

1) In the recent few years many companies with no prior experience of Vehicle Manufacturing has started venturing into Electric Two Wheeler space.
Today a Battery manufacturer is manufacturing Electric scooter, A cab aggregator company is also manufacturing Electric scooter and A lot of start ups are trying their luck in this market segment.

A few observations about the Electric scooters made by such companies :

- Most of these scooters look malnutritioned with rider 80% protruding out of the Scooter.

- Flimsy Build quality

- Companies focussing more on Apps/electronics rather than the durability of the scooter itself.

- Poor customer service support

- Scooters catching fire, or the entire body of scooter cracking down if a scooter experiences a minor skid etc.

Once main stream companies like Bajaj, TVS, Honda, Suzuki start bringing more Electric Two wheelers all these new players will gradually be wiped from the market.

[volkman10]

Govt orders forensic probe in 4 fire in 2 wheelers; to take action after report.


Link

[sunilsreenivasg]

Originally Posted by skyocean

As a prospective customer, my view on how the brands stand today:

Ather -
Okinawa -
Bajaj -
TVS -

Alibaba and Company -

Ola -

You missed the veteran player in this category - Hero electric.

[aim120]

Originally Posted by sunilsreenivasg

You missed the veteran player in this category - Hero electric.

Which falls under alibaba and co.

Hero electric only does painting and assembly from imported kits.

[ambandla]

Ola's biggest mistake: Rushing into the market. Had they sorted out all issues and did proper testing in Indian conditions, these things may not have happened.

One thing that I am not at all comfortable with is over use of software. Ather has software but it is not as wide as Ola's. There was one incident where Ola's battery completely drained and the bloke cannot even unlock the handle as it has to be done from phone or by entering code.

Last week, while I was coming out of my colony, one Ola S1 Pro was getting loaded on a tow vehicle and it looks like the scooter is having some issue. I just zoomed past happy that my scooter that has less range does not fail on me.

I have been using the Ather 450X for few weeks regularly and it has become my preferred 2wheeler over Pulsar NS for simple reasons:

1. Costs almost nothing to operate. Going to setup a solar charging station once I buy an independent house (very soon). Did around 400kms and not even a drop of petrol in it.
2. Acceleration and how it zooms past traffic. We need something that can quickly overtake other vehicles in slow moving traffic in cities like Bengaluru. EVs like Ola and Ather can do that.
3. Unlocking is just like any scooter. Insert key, twist, click motor on button while brake lever is pressed. No smartphone gimmick.


Am I going to go back to ICE bike when I have to replace my NS200, no. I am going to go for a electric bike (of hydro fuel bike if it comes in next few years).

[W16rocks]

Seeing such Incidents, just destroys the image of the company in the minds of prospective customers, especially for companies like Ola which spent millions of dollars in advertising and brand building process.
This was a thing which most of us thought Ola would have well Researched about considering its promise to be India’s Tesla.
As a matter of fact such incidents were expected from the cheap Chinese kit scooters which have emerged nowadays, but on the contrary are coming from reputed and large companies like Ola and Okinawa.
I just hope the safety of the customer is given first priority and no one faces such issues anymore.

Cheers
W16rocks

[warrioraks]

This is a disaster for Ola. Just goes on to prove that fancy marketing can only take you till a point. You need a solid product which delivers. Adding to the woes is a loudmouth CEO who is alleged to propagate a toxic work culture.

Ola is losing the plot fast and it’s hard to find even a handful of people today who could vouch for Ola brand - whether it be cabs, scooters or their futuristic car. From the outside, it started looking like a sinking ship.

[whitewing]

Originally Posted by AutoDowntowner

Main reasons: many of the testing is not completed,
-on road testing work was given to a 3rd party company,
-most of the parts are localized hence they are not proven yet,
-the effect of environmental temperatures is not proved yet (I think this could be one of the reason behind this fire incident).

This confirms the general suspicion around the Ola scooter (in the TBHP thread and in some media outlets as well). I recollect that the The Ken had reported that the scooter engaged in reverse even though the journalist had not set it in reverse mode and highlighting the charging.

Originally Posted by jomson13

Do EV's undergo the routine homologation process that ICE vehicles undergo at ARAI, Pune?
I'm guessing they would have done some tests to certify these vehicles as being roadworthy.
I do not hear any discussions around the certifying authority - what am I missing here?

Originally Posted by whitewing

Is it not the responsibility of the Govt (ministry of roadways??) required to verify road worthiness and safety before allowing retail sales?
Do we even have these tests?

As far as know, the only action taken by the Govt has been initiating a study, and it was a reactive measure(after multiple fire incidents and deaths).

A private company will focus on making money - if it feels the best way forward is by a marketing blitz accompanied by cutting corners to make a quick release to market. Without getting into the morality aspects of shipping unsafe products, it is the prerogative of the manufacturer.

The responsibility of certifying road worthiness lies with the Govt. I cannot understand why there is hardly any attention to effective certification (rather the lack of it) in the media & in this thread.

[db_cooper]

This is really scary, considering an EV needs to be close to a charge point, which is usually near the entrance\exit of the home. And if god forbid it catches on fire, there will be very less time to evacuate the building.

Only hoping the Indian EV manufactures have a robust testing process, including stress tests on these flammable components, before rushing products to market.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by skyocean

Also there are many Ola S1 Pro`s on the road, and this was the first time one caught fire. They may have their niggles,

Small niggles are spoiling user experience, but are a fodder to the opponents.

Glad you can call a vehicle catching fire a "small niggle"! I can't!

How many Athers have caught fire?