6 days ago

India Orders Removal of Rogue E-Rickshaw Battery Apps After Security Concerns

India’s government has ordered app stores to remove mobile applications that allowed unauthorized remote control of e-rickshaw batteries, responding to reports that the software could be misused to manipulate battery management systems and potentially endanger consumers.

The takedown order, issued on July 3, was disclosed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Tuesday in a written reply to Parliament. Officials said the applications enabled unauthorized access to Battery Management Systems (BMS), a critical component that monitors and controls lithium-ion batteries used in electric rickshaws.

The move reflects growing concern in India over the cybersecurity risks accompanying the country’s rapid adoption of electric vehicles, particularly in the largely unregulated e-rickshaw sector, where millions of drivers depend on low-cost battery technologies.

Alongside the app removals, the government outlined what it described as a multilayered national cybersecurity architecture aimed at protecting citizens and digital infrastructure from cyber threats.

At the center of that framework is the National Cyber Security Coordinator, operating under the National Security Council Secretariat, which oversees coordination among government agencies. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) remains the country’s nodal agency for responding to cybersecurity incidents under the Information Technology Act.

The government said the National Cyber Coordination Centre continuously monitors cyberspace to identify emerging threats and shares intelligence with government departments, state authorities and other stakeholders. It also highlighted the role of the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre in safeguarding systems considered essential to national security.

Officials said consumer protection laws, including the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, provide additional safeguards in the digital marketplace, while nationwide awareness campaigns seek to educate citizens about cybersecurity and safe online practices.The disclosure was made in Parliament by Jitin Prasada, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, in response to a question in the Lok Sabha.

The government’s intervention underscores an emerging challenge for India’s electric mobility push: ensuring that connected vehicle technologies remain secure as software becomes increasingly central to transportation and energy systems.