The Indian government has intervened following widespread concern over mobile applications that allowed individuals to remotely halt moving e-rickshaws. S Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), announced at a CII event that two such applications have been successfully removed from app stores.
Incidents involving these apps gained traction through viral videos, depicting pranksters connecting to nearby e-rickshaws via Bluetooth and subsequently cutting power to the vehicles while in motion. This alarming vulnerability raised serious questions about passenger safety and the inherent security of connected battery management systems (BMS) commonly used in low-cost electric vehicles.
MeitY's investigation focused on two specific Chinese battery applications: BAT-BMS and Epoch Li-ion. The BAT-BMS app, developed by Shenzhen Grenergy Technology, was originally designed as a legitimate companion tool for Bluetooth-enabled lithium-ion batteries. It allowed owners to monitor crucial parameters such as voltage, current, temperature, and charging cycles, and even included controls to toggle the battery's discharge function.
However, the security flaw stemmed from how some of these battery management systems were deployed in the market. Many budget-friendly e-rickshaws and electric two-wheelers sold in India utilize these Chinese BMS, making them susceptible to unauthorized remote access and control.
Moving forward, the government plans to engage directly with tech giants Google (Alphabet) and Apple. The objective is to ensure that app stores exercise greater vigilance and implement measures to prevent similar problematic applications from becoming available again in the future.