About this episode

The episode discusses the safety issues surrounding e-rickshaws in India and the role of viral incidents in prompting government action.

Last week, the government ordered Apple and Google to pull at least three battery management system or BMS apps that were being used to switch off e-rickshaws mid-road. If you've been on Instagram, you've seen the videos. A prankster opens the app, taps a switch, and a passing e-rickshaw just dies. It works because the cheap lithium batteries these vehicles run on often ship from China with their Bluetooth wide open, no password at all. The flaw was documented publicly years ago and nothing happened until it went viral. The batteries are still exposed. In this episode, host Snigdha Sharma asks what really governs safety in India's informal economy. Tune in. *We want to get to know you a little better. Tell us what you think about Daybreak here . Daybreak is produced from the newsroom of The Ken, India’s first subscriber-only business news platform. Subscribe for more exclusive, deeply-reported, and analytical business stories.

People in this episode

Host: Snigdha Sharma

Topics covered

• e-rickshaws
• safety
• informal economy
• technology
• government regulation

Keywords

• e-rickshaw
• safety
• battery management
• government regulation
• viral videos

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Apple, Google

Products: battery management system, BMS apps, lithium batteries

Places: India, China

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