Andhra Pradesh: Woman killed as electric scooter battery explodes during charging

A 62-year-old woman died in Kadapa district after an electric scooter battery exploded during charging. This is the latest in a string of EV-related fire incidents in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, many linked to overcharging and battery faults.

Amaravati: A woman was killed when the battery of an electric two-wheeler that was being charged, exploded in their house in Andhra Pradesh’s YSR Kadapa district on Friday.

The incident occurred in Potladurthi village of Yerraguntla mandal (block) of Kadapa district on Friday.

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The scooty, which was kept on charging, exploded, resulting in the death of a woman, who was asleep on a sofa near the two-wheeler.

The woman identified as Venkata Lakshmamma (62) suffered burn injuries and died on the spot.

The vehicle caught fire with the explosion and was completely gutted. Some household items were partially burnt in the fire.

Police registered a case and took up an investigation. The body of the deceased was shifted to government hospital at Produttur for autopsy.

Similar incidents were reported in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in recent years.

During 2022, the Telugu states witnessed about eight incidents of e-bikes, houses and even e-bike showrooms and a hotel catching fire due to e-batteries exploding, killing 10 people and injuring many others.

Almost all the incidents took place when e-bikes were kept on charge and it is suspected that overcharging triggered the explosions.

The biggest disaster happened in Hyderabad in September 2022 when eight people lost their lives after a fire broke out in an e-bike showroom in the cellar of a multi-storeyed building and spread to a hotel on the upper floors.

The fire was caused by a short circuit which was triggered due to overcharging of the EVs.

In October 2022, as many as 36 electric bikes were gutted in a huge fire in a showroom in Palakonda town of Andhra Pradesh’s Parvathipuram district.

In November 2024, a fire broke out after the battery of an electric scooter exploded in Jagital district. A person, who had purchased the two-wheeler three months ago, had put the scooter for charging in his house.

In April 2022, a man was killed and his three family members were injured when a battery of a scooty exploded at their house in Vijayawada.

Kotakonda Shiva Kumar (40) was killed and his wife and their two children sustained burn injuries when the scooty, kept on charging, exploded.

The incident had occurred just a day after the man purchased the electric scooter.

The same month, an 80-year-old man was killed and two others injured in Telangana’s Nizamabad district when the battery of electric two-wheeler had exploded.

The incident occurred in a house where the battery was being charged.