Electric scooter manufacturer Ather Energy has blamed an “extremely rare” phenomenon for a fire at its experience centre in Chennai, saying structural breach allowed water to find its way into the battery pack of the scooter, which triggered a thermal runaway event resulting in smoke and fire.
The EV maker said the scooter in question had been brought to the Nungambakkam facility for service after an accident.
The service crew apparently subjected the Ather 450 electric scooter to a high-pressure wash to remove dust and mud that had accumulated on the scooter over time.
The crew later “discovered a crack on the top casing of the battery pack”, which, the company believes, was due to the accident of the scooter.
