Initial reports say the explosion occurred due to EV battery packs present in the house
A 60-year-old man has died due to an explosion that occurred in his house present at Kanhai in Sector 45 Gurugram (Haryana), recently and initial reports point the finger at electric vehicle (EV) battery packs that were being charged in the premises.
The incident that took place around midnight on 17th December, 2021, resulted in the death of Suresh Sahu, while his wife and one of his 3 sons were also injured.
Upon hearing the explosion, neighbours rushed to the family’s aid, broke the only window of the house to rescue them and the family was quickly transported to Safdarjung Hospital.
Initial police reports claim the batteries that belonged to HCD India’s NPS Cargo electric scooter which were being charged in the house had exploded in the middle of the night, causing a fire.
Mercifully, Jitender Sahu, the eldest son of the family, and Saroj, the youngest have been discharged from the hospital already. MotorBeam has learnt that the second son, named Manoj who suffered burn injuries, is expected to return home either today or tomorrow.
Manoj, who works with NCD India as a servicing technician on a part-time basis handles all service related issues of the company’s vehicles in Delhi-NCR. He has been employed by the company for the past 6 months.
The NPS Cargo scooter present at Sahu’s house was used by Manoj who reportedly brought the scooter home on a regular basis.
Speaking to MotorBeam, a person associated with HCD India said the wife of now deceased Suresh Sahu is expected to be discharged from the hospital by next week.
The source said the company had covered for the ambulance and its officials are regularly visiting Manoj and his mother. He also went on to add that Manoj is a model employee who is “the best at servicing in Delhi-NCR”.
While it is not known whether the EV battery explosion caused the fire which led to the death of Suresh Sahu, the person associated with HCD India claimed that the batteries in the home were found in an unruptured state.
He added that the company does not manufacture the battery packs, but sources them from a third party supplier which is claimed to be “one of the best in the country”.
Once the ongoing investigation comes to a close, the initial cause of the fire will be known. But what is clear is that there were LPG cylinders and other flammable items in the room where the explosion occurred and the cylinders were said to be intact.
Our source said “the company is ready to be held accountable” if the fire is traced to the battery packs of the NPS Cargo electric scooter, but stressed that with the safety parameters in place, the batteries the company sources would scientifically cut off power during a surge.
The person also said the circuitry of the household and inadequate earthing can be responsible for the incident. HCD India will provide its detailed response through an official release soon.
Priced between Rs. 61,740/- for single battery variant with 65-70 km range and Rs. 80,640 for dual battery variant with 130-140 km range, the NPS Cargo has a maximum speed between 25 and 45 km/hr and weighs 110 kg.
It can carry up to 150 kg load and the EV’s battery can be removed for external charging. Also, the scooter comes with an LED headlight with DRL, USB charger, reverse mode, supports fast charging and is certified by ICAT and ARAI.
