Now, electric vehicle showroom catches fire in Mangaluru

A short circuit resulted in a big fire in an electric two-wheeler showroom in Mangaluru on Thursday (June 24).

The Naguri-based showroom, which belongs to Okinawa company, was reduced to ashes in the fire.

Okinawa Autotech, the parent company, issued a statement: “Aware of an unfortunate fire incident at one of our showrooms in Mangalore this morning. In touch with the dealership and we are extending all necessary support.”

The company quoted the Mangaluru dealer to say that the fire was caused due to an electric short circuit. “Safety is at the core of Okinawa Autotech and we want to assure that the highest standards of safety are maintained in our dealership across the country,” the statement read.

Earlier, another Okinawa showroom, located in Chennai, had gone up in flames. The reason for fire then too was said to be an electric short circuit.

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Meanwhile, Ola chief Bhavish Aggarwal responded to a Tata Nexon catching fire in Mumbai. Aggarwal tweeted saying electric vehicles will continue to catch fire. “EV fires will happen. Happens in all global products too. EV fires are much less frequent than ICE fires,” he said on Twitter, apparently responding to criticism of some fire incidents in Ola S1 Pro EV scooters.

Also read: Tata Motors begins probe after EV car catches fire in Mumbai

Some consumers have also complained about the quality of Ola S1 Pro scooter.

On June 22, a video of Tata Nexon EV on fire in Mumbai was shared widely on Twitter.

Tata Motors responded to the video of the accident going viral on social media, and called it an “isolated thermal incident”.

It said in a statement, “A detailed investigation is currently being conducted to ascertain the facts of the recent isolated thermal incident that is doing the rounds on social media. We will share a detailed response after our complete investigation.”

Accidents associated with EVs have been common over years and their safety has been a pivotal point of debate for a long time.

On March 25, an electric two-wheeler caught fire in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore, claiming the lives of a man and his daughter. The incident was followed by a series of similar accidents in the country.

In Pune, an Ola electric two-wheeler S1 Pro caught fire. Another similar incident was also reported from Guwahati which resulted in the rider being hospitalised.

In response to the mishaps, Ola said that it had commissioned world-class agencies on finding the root cause of these accidents. The company had also recalled more than 1,400 scooters.

The Centre too has instituted a committee to study the reasons for frequent incidents of fire in EVs. The report is expected in a month’s time.