Okinawa Autotech announced on Saturday that it would recall 3,215 units of its Praise Pro scooters to fix any battery-related issues with immediate effect.
The recall is part of the company’s power pack health check-up camps, where the batteries will be checked for loose connectors and other damage. Okinawa said that batteries will be repaired free of charge by any of the company’s authorised dealers throughout India. In India, this is the first voluntary recall by an EV maker.
“The electric 2W maker is working closely with the dealer partners to ensure that the repair experience is as per the convenience of its customers, for which the vehicle owners will be contacted individually”, Okinawa said, ANI reported citing NewsVoir
“This voluntary campaign is in the wake of the recent thermal incident and in line with the company’s long-standing commitment to customer safety,” the company added.
A government agency is investigating the manufacturer over a recent incident involving an electric short circuit in one of the company’s vehicles. The recall comes at a time when a recall is being conducted.
A man and his 13-year-old daughter were killed in a fire after their electric scooter went up in flames in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. The incident occurred in March. In another similar incident, Ola’s Electric S1 Pro electric scooter caught fire in Pune.
On social media, a video depicting Ola’s electric scooter engulfed in flames has caused users to question the safety standards of the scooter.
Meanwhile, this is the second time an Okinawa e-scooter has caught fire. Last year, the video of a charred e-scooter of the company had surfaced online, however, no casualties were reported at that time.