Cheap Laptop Chips In Battery Management Systems Setting Indian EVs On Fire: NXP CTO

Dutch semiconductor design company NXP’s chief technology officer (CTO) Lars Reger has reportedly blamed the use of “cheap” laptop chips in battery management systems (BMS) for electric vehicle (EV) fires in India. 

Speaking with Moneycontrol, Reger said that the use of “cheap” solutions by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in complicated systems leads to the “same failure each time”. 

“What these companies have done is they have taken cheap solutions from laptops into complicated battery management systems… Do not use consumer electronics in battery management systems,” Reger said.

He attributed the use of such bandaid solutions to the razor-thin margins in the Indian EV space, adding that in such a scenario it becomes difficult to “afford a little bit more expensive battery management chips”. 

“They used the cheapest solutions. And, it was the same failure each time. The Indian market has to be super, super cheap, and they cannot afford a little bit more expensive battery management chips… A lot of people made the beginner’s mistakes of taking cheap consumer solutions,” Reger added. 

The statement comes with the onset of summer, a season which generally witnesses a spurt in incidents related to EV fires. In the past, a spate of such fires has grabbed negative headlines across the country, involving multiple EV companies such as Ola Electric, Okinawa Autotech, and Pure EV, and even legacy brands like Tata.

As users raised questions about the safety of these vehicles, a government-instituted panel last year reportedly found that the EVs, in question, had seriously deficient BMS and lacked ‘basic safety systems’.

Despite the issues, the Indian EV ecosystem continues to make big strides. Around 81,963 EV two-wheelers were sold in February 2024, up 24% from 66,094 units during the same period last year.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) allocated INR 500 Cr for the new Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme 2024 till July 2024 to promote EV sales in the country. Just this week, B2B contract manufacturing unicorn Zetwerk bagged an order from Indian Oil to establish more than 1,400 electric vehicle (EV) chargers at petrol stations across India.

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