E-scooter fires trigger safety concerns, in setback for Modi push, climate goals

A spate of electric scooters catching fire in India, including one made by SoftBank-backed Ola Electric, is sparking safety concerns among some buyers, in an early setback for a nascent sector Prime Minister Narendra Modi is bullish about.

India wants electric scooters and motorbikes to make up 80 per cent of total two-wheeler sales by 2030, from about 2 per cent today, and Modi’s administration is offering companies billions of dollars in incentives to locally manufacture electric vehicles (EVs.)

Sales of electric scooters more than doubled this year, but at least for some prospective buyers, the fires are a reason to think twice.