<p>A fire killed eight people at a hotel in Secunderabad on Tuesday, and police suspect it was triggered by overcharged electric scooters in the basement.</p>.<p>Fires caused by electric scooters have been reported from many parts of India since last year and fingers are often pointed at faulty battery cells and modules.</p>.<p>Industry experts from Bengaluru shared some tips for owners of electric vehicles. </p>.<p>Vikram Pol, representative of Batteryline, a community of experts in the manufacturing of (lithium ion) battery cells, offers a thumb rule: “Don’t let your battery level fall below 20% or charge it beyond 80%.”</p>.<p>Once an EV is charged fully, disconnect it from the charging source or switch off the charging point, he advises. His explanation: “Even if the EV is not in use, the battery can dissipate and fall to 99.6% from 100%, for instance. When that happens, the battery management system (BMS), which shuts the charging off at 100% automatically, strains the battery to trickle charge itself again.”</p>.<p>Over time, overcharging can cause ‘thermal runaway’ or overheating, and the device may become a fire hazard, he warns.</p>.<p>Overcharging is often attributed to the failure of BMS, which ensures that a rechargeable battery operates safely and efficiently, says Kartik Hajela. He is the cofounder and chief operating officer of Log9 Materials, a startup in the EV battery-technology domain.</p>.<p>Plugging an EV into a non-compliant charging station is another risk.</p>.<p>“Whether it is for private or commercial use, always use points authorised by your charge point operator (CPO). They assess and validate if a plug point is apt for charging an EV or not. Even for home use, a smart EV charging socket should be installed by an authorised CPO to create necessary safety layers to account for any failure in the BMS.” </p>.<p>A good step would also be to collate locations of all compliant charging stations on one app to increase their discoverability and ease of access, he says. Currently, every brand has a different locator app. </p>.<p>In his view, the problem at the moment is that the EV industry in India is barely indigenised. “The BMS technology and battery packs are mostly imported without quality checks at the manufacturers’ end. Vehicle OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) should start sourcing parts from Indian suppliers,” he says. He hopes the just-released Conformity of Production Procedure will help eliminate recurring accidents.</p>
<p>A fire killed eight people at a hotel in Secunderabad on Tuesday, and police suspect it was triggered by overcharged electric scooters in the basement.</p>.<p>Fires caused by electric scooters have been reported from many parts of India since last year and fingers are often pointed at faulty battery cells and modules.</p>.<p>Industry experts from Bengaluru shared some tips for owners of electric vehicles. </p>.<p>Vikram Pol, representative of Batteryline, a community of experts in the manufacturing of (lithium ion) battery cells, offers a thumb rule: “Don’t let your battery level fall below 20% or charge it beyond 80%.”</p>.<p>Once an EV is charged fully, disconnect it from the charging source or switch off the charging point, he advises. His explanation: “Even if the EV is not in use, the battery can dissipate and fall to 99.6% from 100%, for instance. When that happens, the battery management system (BMS), which shuts the charging off at 100% automatically, strains the battery to trickle charge itself again.”</p>.<p>Over time, overcharging can cause ‘thermal runaway’ or overheating, and the device may become a fire hazard, he warns.</p>.<p>Overcharging is often attributed to the failure of BMS, which ensures that a rechargeable battery operates safely and efficiently, says Kartik Hajela. He is the cofounder and chief operating officer of Log9 Materials, a startup in the EV battery-technology domain.</p>.<p>Plugging an EV into a non-compliant charging station is another risk.</p>.<p>“Whether it is for private or commercial use, always use points authorised by your charge point operator (CPO). They assess and validate if a plug point is apt for charging an EV or not. Even for home use, a smart EV charging socket should be installed by an authorised CPO to create necessary safety layers to account for any failure in the BMS.” </p>.<p>A good step would also be to collate locations of all compliant charging stations on one app to increase their discoverability and ease of access, he says. Currently, every brand has a different locator app. </p>.<p>In his view, the problem at the moment is that the EV industry in India is barely indigenised. “The BMS technology and battery packs are mostly imported without quality checks at the manufacturers’ end. Vehicle OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) should start sourcing parts from Indian suppliers,” he says. He hopes the just-released Conformity of Production Procedure will help eliminate recurring accidents.</p>