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Softbank-backed Ola Electric to recall 1,441 e-scooters -Breaking

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© Reuters. FILEPHOTO: An Indian man waits to recharge his Ola electric scooter in New Delhi. The incident took place on Tuesday, 12 February 2022. REUTERS/Aditi Shaikh//File photo

Aditi Shah

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Softbank-backed Ola Electric announced on Sunday that it would recall 1,441 electric scooters. This comes weeks after a vehicle caught fire. The incident prompted a probe by the government.

Scooters that involved Indian start-ups Okinawa & PureEV were also involved in the fires. This could have been a setback for an emerging sector which is crucial to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s climate and carbon reduction goals.

India conducted an inquiry into the fires, and has formed a committee composed of experts that will make recommendations about remedial measures. Okinawa recalls 3,215 vehicles each month.

Ola Electric released a Sunday statement saying that they will conduct a thorough diagnostic and perform a health check on the scooters from this particular batch.

India’s government wants motorbikes and electric scooters to account for 80% of all two-wheeler sales by 2030. This is a significant increase from the current 2%. Modi’s administration offers billions in incentives to encourage local production.

Ola stated that it supports an EV safety program and that a preliminary evaluation of the vehicle caught on fire in its garage revealed that it was not a major incident. Ola also said the recalls are a preventative measure.

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