Automobile
Electric vehicle caught fire yet again, one dead and three family member injured
Yet another EV fire incident took place where an 80-year old man died while three of his family members suffered burn injuries when the battery of an electric scooter plugged in for charging exploded at their house in Nizamabad district, police said.
As per reports, the e-scooter belonged to Pure EV and this is the third incident where a Pure EV fire has claimed life. So far one Ola, two Okinawa, three Pure EV and 20 Jitendra EV scooters have caught fire.
The incident happened early on April 20, when the detachable battery of the electric two-wheeler kept on charge in a room burst triggering flames resulting in burn injuries to three people sleeping there while another family member was injured while trying to douse the flames, they said.
The octogenarian and those injured were admitted to a hospital in Nizamabad town, but after the elderly man’s condition became critical he was referred to a hospital in Hyderabad, but he succumbed to the injuries on the way, police said.
Based on a complaint by the son of the deceased, a case under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life) of the IPC was registered against the electric vehicle company, a police official added.
NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant requested the EV original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to voluntarily recall batches linked to EV fires on April 13. Further, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, stated in the Lok Sabha that the EV fire events may have occurred due to increased temperatures.
Automobile
Improved version of Hyundai Creta launched in Indian market: Check it out here
Hyundai India launched the much-awaited Creta Knight Edition in the country at a starting price of Rs 13.51 lakh (ex-showroom, all-India). This new variant is available in both petrol and diesel engine options and can be had either with a manual or an automatic transmission unit. To read more about the Creta Knight Edition, click here. In addition to this, the company has also introduced a model-year update for the Hyundai Creta with new feature additions.
The 2022 Hyundai Creta is now available in a new Denim Blue colour option and the Highline TPMS is now standard across all variants. The SX (O) trim now also gets a glossy black centre console. Furthermore, the company will offer the iMT option on the 1.5-litre petrol ‘S’ variant to further expand choices for the customers. The new S+ variant powered by a 1.4-litre T-GDi petrol engine with 7DCT now gets an additional set of features, such as –
– Smart panoramic sunroof
– 16-inch black alloy wheels
– Smartphone wireless charger
– Rear Disc Brakes
– Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
– Vehicle Stability Management (VSM)
– Hill start assist control (HAC)
– Paddle shifters
– Metal pedals
– Electric and auto-folding ORVMs
– Power window auto up/down
Mechanically, the SUV continues to be powered by the existing petrol and diesel engine options.