A note on expert panel findings on EV fires

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Editor's note: The much-awaited report of the expert panel set up to investigate electric two-wheeler fires finally seems to be ready. According to The Economic Times, the final report is expected within a week, but its recommendations on safety have been shared with EV manufacturers. “Companies have already been told that many of the EV two-wheeler manufacturers have taken shortcuts. Their cells have failed the tests. In several cases, the venting mechanism is not there. They are bursting and catching fire. They are mainly poor-quality cells,” the ET report quoted an official privy to the findings as saying.  “Secondly, the battery management system is not even basic. A particular battery, when it’s getting overheated, must be identified and cut off. This is, in fact, what even a minimum functional BMS will do. These vehicles didn’t even have that basic identification system for failed cells,” the official added. This is worse than it looks or what anyone could have imagined. A battery management system, or BMS, is the most critical part of an electric vehicle. BMS regulates and monitors the current supply to …