EV battery safety

I write this letter as a Scientific Officer at the National Test House, Bengaluru, under the Government of India. The report, “On a Slow Charging Mode” (Bengaluru, ‘Spotlight’, June 5), highlighted that while infrastructure and cost remain hurdles to EV adoption, long-term consumer trust ultimately depends on battery safety. The government is expanding a robust testing ecosystem. State-of-the-art testing facilities for lithium-ion cells, battery packs, and EV chargers are already operational and continue to expand at National Test House centres in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Industry players must make greater use of these accessible government laboratories. Rigorous quality control will prevent battery fire incidents and build unwavering public confidence. This trust will drive mass adoption, ultimately bringing down costs to deliver affordable, safe EVs — a definitive win-win.

R.N. Lokesh,

Bengaluru

The Hindu’s ‘Exclusive’ on Nicobar project

It is surprising that the government has chosen to mask the observation of the Public Investment Board (PIB) that the Nicobar’s Galathea Bay project lacks “strategic objectives” and is now making all out efforts to project it as a strategic project (‘Exclusive’, Front page, June 5). It would be a great national loss if a natural ecosystem with pristine tropical forest is destroyed and ancient tribes displaced. The project not only engenders ecological disaster, but may also prove to be an anthropological tragedy. As the project lacks any strategic goals, the government would best serve the national interest by shelving it. If executed, the project would be located in a highly seismically active zone, threaten massive deforestation, endanger unique wildlife that is already at risk, and alienate indigenous tribes.

Kosaraju Chandramouli,

Hyderabad