Ola Electric customer sends notice to EV maker for 'violating' data privacy

A customer of Ola Electric has sent a takedown notice to the EV maker for allegedly violating data privacy norms by publishing his scooter's telemetry data on social media.

This comes after the company issued a statement claiming that the rider who met with an accident in Guwahati was overspeeding throughout the night, and that he braked in panic, thereby losing control of the vehicle.

On April 15, Ola Electric customer Balwant Singh tweeted that his son Reetam Singh met with an accident while driving his new Ola S1 Pro due to fault in regenerative braking where on speed breaker instead of slowing, the scooter accelerated, generating excessive torque.

In an email to Ola Electric, Singh has asked the company to immediately takedown the telemetry data of his scooter from social media accounts of the EV maker.

"Ola and I had signed an agreement for sharing data for your private access. The posting of telemetry data online in public medium is breach of agreement," Singh said, adding that he never authorised Ola Electric to reveal his scooter’s data in public.

"I had categorically requested you via tweets to provide the data via email only. But you failed to provide me the same via email but chose to make my data public. Also the data was extracted not in my presence whereby I question the authenticity of the claims," Singh said.

This comes at a time when the government has constituted an expert committee to enquire into such incidents and make recommendations on remedial steps.

"Based on the reports, we will issue necessary orders on the defaulting companies. We will soon issue quality-centric guidelines for electric vehicles," union transport minister Nitin Gadkari had said last week.

Gadkari urged electric vehicle makers to voluntarily recall all defective EVs after several incidents of battery fires leading to loss of life and property came to light.

"Several mishaps involving electric two-wheelers have come to light in the last two months. It is most unfortunate that some people have lost their lives and several have been injured in these incidents," Gadkari tweeted.

Gadkari warned that if any company is found negligent in their processes, a heavy penalty will be imposed and a recall of all defective vehicles will also be ordered.

Ola last week announced a recall of 1,441 units of its electric two-wheelers after an Ola S1 Pro caught fire in Pune on March 26.