MoRTH refutes report on halting electric two wheeler launches

Electric two-wheelers have been in the news lately, after scooters made by Okinawa, Ola, Jitendra EV, and Pure EV were involved in accidents causing the vehicles to go up in flames. Following these incidents, the government asked the companies to investigate the matter, while also telling EV makers to be responsible, if not, hefty penalties will be levied.

The ministry of road and highways also called in a meeting earlier this week, and reports quickly emerged saying that the government had asked EV makers to halt new launches until the incidents were thoroughly investigated.

Following up on the issue, MoRTH has refuted the claim, saying no such order was issued. The statement read:

“A section of media has reported that MoRTH has asked electric two-wheeler manufacturers not to launch new vehicles till instances of fire are investigated. The Ministry wishes to clarify that there is no such instruction and such reports are unfounded, misleading and far from the truth.”

What the government did ask EV makers was to issue a recall for EVs from the particular batch of scooters that were involved in the accidents. Over the past week, EV makers such as Ola, Okinawa, and Pure EV have recalled over 7000 units.