There could be no shortcuts to validation and testing of vehicles in real-world conditions before selling those to customers, according to Naveen Munjal, MD, Hero Electric.

According to reports, Naveen Munjal’s comment came in the backdrop of incidents of electric scooters catching fire and manufacturers coming under the scanner for safety and testing standards in India.

“Technology is replicable, experience is not, and there is no room for shortcuts for the testing process when it comes to batteries. We have been dealing with batteries for six-seven years now. We are now in the third generation of batteries and are now working on the next generation of batteries which we should be launching soon,” says Munjal.

There were three reported instances of electric scooters catching fire in four days last month, creating concerns among existing and prospective customers. While an incident involving the S1 Pro from Ola Electric caught a lot of attention, the other two scooters were of Okinawa and Pure EV as per reports.

“Whenever we have these customer camps, it also gives us an opportunity to check the vehicles to ensure everything is working properly. We are also installing an additional safety sensor in the battery and in case there is an increase in the temperature of the battery, it will send out an alarm,” adds Munjal.

The company was calling 4, 50,000 customers to its dealerships across the country and explaining to them how the battery functions and precautions to be taken while charging them.

Munjal says, “Indian conditions are difficult for batteries and they are subject to extreme conditions on the roads. We need to take adequate precautions and measures to ensure the batteries can cope with the rigours of our roads and the conditions they are subject to.”