Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],

As the tally of electric-vehicle (EV) fires rises, discussions about them invariably end at the lithium-ion batteries that all EVs sport today—energy efficient; but particularly vulnerable if EV manufacturers don’t work closely with battery makers. 

And we know many don’t. Because cells are imported, assembled locally, and, in the case of two-wheelers, sometimes not tested as rigorously as they should be. 

EVs abound. Yet, few seem to be paying attention to general electrical safety. A couple of weeks ago, in Telangana’s Secunderabad, eight persons died and many others were injured when a fire broke out at an electric bike showroom and then spread to the hotel located above it. 

Preliminary investigations showed that a short circuit could have caused the fire, resulting in the explosion of vehicles one after the other. 

That’s a chilling finding. 

 One that brings to mind an oft-ignored statistic: the death-to-injury ratio of fire accidents in India is 612:1, going by 2019 data. That is, for every person coming out alive from such mishaps, 612 die.