Government to bring SOP amid rising EV fires

Alarmed at the growing EV fires in the country, the government is set to bring in standard operating procedure (SOP) on battery certification and quality control in order to help EV makers develop efficient and safe products for the consumers.
According to sources, the government-formed committee to formulate new guidelines has experts from the Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore, Naval Science and Technological Laboratory in Andhra Pradesh, and the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, among others.
The panel has been tasked with formulating a SOP for battery certification and testing and validation of key battery components, sources said.
The Centre last week sent show-cause notices to EV manufacturers like Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech and Pure EV, among others, warning them why a penal action should not be taken against them for delivering faulty electric two-wheelers to the public.