New problems have emerged for e-rickshaw drivers in many parts of the country including Delhi. In many videos going viral on social media, it is being claimed that some youth riding a bike are stopping a moving e-rickshaw in the middle of the road with the help of an alleged Chinese mobile app. Due to this, drivers and passengers are facing huge inconvenience. An electronic device installed in e-rickshaws, which is used to facilitate drivers and monitor the vehicle, is now reportedly being misused. It is alleged that some people are deactivating e-rickshaws remotely by using this technology. However, till now no official complaint has been registered with Delhi Police in any police station in this regard. Despite this, videos and claims surfaced on social media have raised concerns among e-rickshaw drivers.
An e-rickshaw driver at Burari metro station claimed that his e-rickshaw suddenly stopped in the middle of the road on Monday. Unable to understand the reason, he took off the passengers and took the vehicle to the mechanic. According to the driver, the mechanic removed the lock through the app for around Rs 300 and restored the battery connection, after which the e-rickshaw restarted. The mechanic told that the current connection was cut off through the chip installed in the battery.
Here, many such videos are going viral on social media platform X. In a video, a young man riding a bicycle is seen allegedly shutting down an e-rickshaw violating traffic rules through a mobile app. This video was uploaded on July 1. Meanwhile, in another video, an e-rickshaw driver is seen upset over the vehicle being stopped and expresses his displeasure by accusing a young man of shutting down the e-rickshaw through the app.
Alleged misuse of battery management system security flaw
According to experts, the lithium-ion battery installed in many e-rickshaws is equipped with a battery management system (BMS), which connects to the mobile phone through Bluetooth and provides information like battery charge, voltage, temperature and current. It is being told that the Chinese origin BMS used in some low cost e-rickshaws do not have adequate security system for Bluetooth connection. Taking advantage of this alleged weakness, some people are using a mobile app called ‘BAT BMS’. It is claimed that if such an e-rickshaw comes within a distance of about 10 to 15 meters, then the app can connect to its BMS without any authentication. According to the claims, the battery discharge switch is turned off through the app, which stops the power supply to the motor and the e-rickshaw stops moving.
What is BAT-BMS App?
BAT-BMS is a mobile application developed by Shenzhen Greenenergy Technology. This app is available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store and is primarily designed to monitor and manage Bluetooth based smart lithium-ion batteries. Through this app, users can view various technical information related to the battery, such as state of charge, voltage, temperature, discharge current and other operational data. Additionally, some compatible smart batteries also have the ability to control certain settings, such as charging or discharging, through an app.
Can any e-rickshaw be switched off remotely?
There is no separate feature in BAT-BMS app to directly lock or stop any e-rickshaw. Connecting to a smart battery normally requires Bluetooth pairing, permission of the corresponding device, or a pairing code. Therefore, connecting to the battery of any moving vehicle without permission is not considered possible under normal circumstances. Additionally, the app only works with smart lithium batteries equipped with a Bluetooth-based battery management system (BMS). A large number of e-rickshaws in India still use traditional lead-acid or lithium battery systems that do not have this feature. However, if a particular BMS has security vulnerabilities such as accepting Bluetooth connections without authentication, it may be an issue with the associated hardware or its configuration, not the normal functioning of the app.
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