Punjab Newsline | New Delhi
Central government has directed app stores to remove three mobile applications allegedly being misused to remotely disable e-rickshaw batteries, causing serious inconvenience to drivers in Delhi and several other cities.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) announced on Friday that the apps — BAT-BMS, LoSige, and Epoch Li-ion — have been ordered to be taken down from app stores. However, the applications were still available on the Google Play Store at the time of the announcement.
The action follows multiple complaints that individuals were using these apps to connect to e-rickshaw batteries via Bluetooth and remotely switch them off, bringing moving vehicles to a sudden halt. Several videos of such incidents have also gone viral on social media.
According to officials, the issue stemmed from weak security in the Bluetooth Battery Management Systems (BMS) used in some lithium-ion batteries fitted in e-rickshaws. In many cases, the systems either lacked password protection or had inadequate security measures, allowing unauthorized access through the apps.
Experts noted that electric cars are not affected by this vulnerability, as their battery management systems are protected by advanced encryption and stronger cybersecurity protocols, preventing unauthorized connections through ordinary mobile applications.
