Ola Electric Recalls 1,440 Ola S1 E-scooters After Pune Fire Incident

In light of the Ola S1 Pro electric scooter catching fire in Pune last month, Ola Electric has announced a recall of 1,441 e-scooters manufactured in that batch for a detailed diagnostics and health check.

The company says the affected scooters will be checked by Ola Electric’s service engineers, who will do a diagnostics check of everything including the battery, thermal as well as safety systems. We’d reached out to the company regarding how exactly the recall will be carried out, but the company declined to comment. Ola says it is still investigating the fire incident, and its preliminary assessment reveals, and we quote, “...the thermal incident was likely an isolated one.” That said, it is still going ahead with the recall to ensure extra safety.

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The company also claims its battery pack is tested for and is compliant with AIS 156, the latest proposed standard for India, as well as with European Standard ECE 136. 

The Indian riding conditions can get extreme during the summer months, as temperatures routinely soar beyond 40 degrees in several parts of the country. This commands the need for high-quality thermal management systems for the battery packs, as otherwise they will be prone to catch fire. Pure EV also recently issued a recall of 2,000 electric scooters after there were instances of its e-scooters catching fire. Even Okinawa recalled over 3,200 units earlier this month. Nevertheless, proactive recalls can only go so far as to minimise the fire risk in electric vehicles, as the responsibility of charging the EV properly and using it appropriately lies with the owners.