Paramount Motors Pvt. Ltd. has released a statement on the ongoing issue of an MG EZS EV catching fire. Via the notice, the authorized dealer of MG EVs in Nepal denied the news coming out in the media. The statement relates to an MG EZS EV numbered 01-027 cha 1581 (Bagmati Province) that caught fire and was destroyed on 2080-09-09 in Kathmandu District Budhanilkantha Municipality ward no. 3, Deuwachok.
The statement denies “unsubstantiated” remarks that have surfaced in the aftermath. Paramount Motors has strongly refuted assumptions that came in the media, and social networks after the said EV was destroyed after catching fire.
The company says that its representatives visited the site immediately after coming to learn of the incident with a team of technical experts. In its assessment and documents from the area police office, Budhanilkantha derived that the EV caught fire after the electric wire suffered a short circuit. The vehicle was put in charge from 6 PM and caught fire at 1:15 AM. Paramount says that it was the one to disseminate the information to the public.
However, it says that many media quoting the EV’s owners and making assumptions have drawn its attention. The owner has also denied any authenticity in the news quoting him through the Facebook account, the company writes.
The EV was transacted from a dealer in Jhapa on 2078/11/10 and despite not being the primary company for the vehicle, it’s an authorized importer, and is its responsibility to know the truth and spread it.
No cooperation to disguise the “truth”
The news mentioned that the company and the EV owner agreed to pin the fire incident on a short circuit. The company says that the reason was determined by the authorized agencies and it had no cooperation of any nature with the EV owner to hide any truth if there was.
On 2080/09/09, the EV owner called the local police after the vehicle caught fire. At the very time, he informed the police that it was a short circuit that caused the fire. This was proved with documents the police gathered hence it proves that the so-called agreement didn’t take place just around the time of releasing the press statement.
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Compensation was not requested
The news also claims that the company didn’t offer compensation even after a month of the incident and promised to offer it within a week. The company makes clear that no such promises were made. Also, the EV owner himself never requested any compensation either.
On the date 2080/09/18, when this company issued a press release, the vehicle manufacturer (SAIC Motor International Co., Ltd., China) was studying the incident regarding the vehicle that caught fire. The report has also been provided to this company.
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The manufacturer did its study
After the technical analysis and study done, it was found that the fire started from the front to the back, there was no sign of fire from inside the car when the car was parked and charged. We would like to inform everyone who has sent the technical report of the incident that there was no oil leakage or mechanical failure, nor there is a change in the vehicle’s dashboard or any damage to the vehicle’s interior, and the ignition system.
There was no high heat temperature source or electrical faults that could have proved that the fire started from the inside of the vehicle. Likewise, there was no abnormal burn or short circuit found within the vehicle. Also, the fire did not affect the battery and no quality defect has been found on the vehicle.
Paramount Motors statement on the MG EV catching fire
The company reiterates that the EV owner himself established that the EV caught fire after the wire was shorted and told the same to the police on the phone. This is established by an on-site investigation and written on the documents.
The owner said that due to the cold weather, he had to place the said vehicle overnight at a distance from the house running a 15-meter-long wire and placing the power socket on the floor to charge the vehicle.
It was found that the required standard wire, and power socket were not used while charging the vehicle. Likewise, no internal machine was found as the source of the fire. Also, the vehicle’s high-voltage battery endured no effect from the fire. The wire and the power socket used to charge the vehicle were destroyed in the incident.
The owner has claimed insurance
The MG EV owner whose vehicle was destroyed has claimed insurance and started the process. And after the initiation of the insurance claim, he hasn’t requested any compensation from the company. But the rumors circulating in the media that he didn’t get any compensation has strongly drawn our attention, the company stresses. At the same time, claiming the insurance and seeking compensation is both morally and law-wise inconsistent.
“Paramount Motors is committed to the government policy of promoting electric vehicles in Nepal. It’s also very sensitive to the safety and quality of every vehicle imported into the country and is dedicated to providing the best service to customers,” the company says. It also says that it’s fully cooperating with the owner in the insurance process
