Another Okinawa Electric Scooter Catches Fire After A Recent Recall

Last Updated on May 3, 2022 by Anu Joy

The past few months have been disastrous for the Indian electric scooter manufacturer Okinawa due to multiple battery fire incidents in its vehicles. Now, another one from the manufacturer went up in flames in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, India.

According to a report by IANS, the e-scooter, which appears to be an Okinawa Praise Pro, was owned by Satish, a resident of Hosur in Krishnagiri. He had bought the electric scooter last year in 2021. On April 30, 2022, he started the scooter in the morning but realised that it was emitting some smoke from under the seat. People are well aware of the battery-related incidents that have happened recently. Hence, he quickly lifted the seat to probably take out the battery. But unfortunately, the battery caught fire and engulfed the scooter later. Satish tried to put out the fire with some help from neighbours but couldn’t save it. Luckily, no one was harmed in the incident.

The company, in its defence, has blamed the owner for the fire. According to the Okinawa dealer, Satish skipped the regular servicing of the vehicle. The dealer says that he was reminded about the pending services over phone calls. Also, during the delivery of the vehicle, buyers are educated about battery maintenance and preventive measures. The company conducts checkup camps and awareness campaigns regularly to avoid such mishaps, the dealer adds. 

Past Electric Scooter Mishaps

In March 2022, a father and his 13-year-old daughter lost their lives after their Okinawa electric scooter exploded. The scooter was plugged in and they were sleeping when the incident occurred. Back then, the company blamed the charging port to be incompatible for charging the batteries, which caused the short circuit.  

Also Read: Okinawa Electric Scooter Showroom Catches Fire In India

In April 2022, Okinawa issued a recall of 3,215 units of its Praise Pro electric scooters in India. The company will be checking for any loose connections or any defects in the batteries. These will be repaired for free at Okinawa dealerships across India. 

Apart from Okinawa, Ola Electric, Pure EV, and Jitendra EV scooters were the recent ones to catch fire and raised concerns among owners and prospective buyers alike. The road transport ministry of India has asked the Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) to probe into the matter. The government of India needs to lay out some strict rules for EV manufacturers as these vehicles are more likely to catch fire than petrol or diesel vehicles. Also, prospective EV buyers may defer their purchases due to such incidents.