MoRTH Alert States On Dealers Illegally Selling Low-Speed EV Scooters

MoRTH issue alert to states regarding a very serious breach of rules where the dealers are playing roulette with safety of EV customers…

So, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH) has released a notification for the Indian state governments regarding some EV dealers illegally selling high-speed electric scooters in the guise of low-speed electric scooters to customers. 

This practice is illegal and immensely dangerous because while the low-speed scooters are capped at a top speed of 25 km/h, the high-speed scooters are able to reach a speed of 45-50 km/h. And many customers are lacking this knowledge and could be purchasing these scooters for their kids or older family member without the knowledge of how fast these electric scooters can be. 

According to the current rules in India, all Electric Vehicles under 25 km/h do not require type approvals and can be sold directly without requiring any certification. However, due to the growth of higher battery capacity, electric vehicles which can achieve speeds as high as 40-50 km/h are being sold as low-speed Electric two-wheelers across the country. This has caused the ministry to red-flag this illegal and dangerous activity.

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MoRTH has said that these higher capacity battery, low-speed EVs violate the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR Act) – 1989, and under specific provisions mandated by the CMVR Act, appropriate action must be taken against dealers found guilty. These dealers are selling such vehicles without abiding by any type of approval, or receiving vehicle identification norms and insurance, and are going as far as tampering with the verification undertaken by the testing agencies. 

The ministry has shared its concern regarding this development and has become proactive against these dealers who are sprouting all over the country and openly flouting with the safety standards. 

Additionally, Mentioning the CMVR rules, MoRTH stated that besides complying with the speed cap of 25 km/h, the total weight of the vehicle without the batteries (unladen weight) should not cross the 60 kg mark. And these electric vehicles should be fitted with suitable brakes and reflectors at the front and the rear. 

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