20 New Jitendra Electric Scooters Catch Fire in Nashik, No Casualties

A total of 20 electric scooters from Nashik-based firm Jitendra caught fire when they were being loaded in a container for transportation. The company has said that there were no casualties, and confirmed that it is investigating the cause of the fire. The news comes a few days after an Ola S1 Pro went up in flames while parked on the road in Pune. The government has already asked the Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) to investigate the cause of the fire in order to minimise the dent in growth of the nascent electric vehicle (EV) sector in the country.

As per a statement by Jitendra New EV Tech, the incident happened on April 9, when a shipment of electric scooters was being transported in a container truck near the company's factory gate in Nashik. The company said it noticed that smoke was coming from the container's upper deck. “Our team immediately swung into action and brought the situation under control. We are investigating the root cause and we will come up with the findings in [the] coming days,” the statement said. Jitendra has been in the EV-manufacturing business since 2016.

In an infamous incident for Ola Eletric, an Ola S1 Pro caught fire in Pune. The incident went viral soon after a short video was posted on social media. The company acknowledged the incident and said it was investigating the problem.

Soon after the recent incident, the Road Transport Ministry asked the Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) to investigate the cause of the fire in order to minimise the dent in growth of the nascent EV sector in the country. “If reasons for the damage are not nipped in the bud, it can spread panic affecting the EV industry. The basic aim is to ensure the truth comes out, otherwise it can become murky,” said Giridhar Aramane, Secretary of Road Transport Ministry.