On Cam: How E-Rickshaw Batteries Are Being Switched Off with Mobile App; Driver Explains Risks
- On social media, users are exploiting unsecured Bluetooth-enabled China-manufactured Battery Management Systems to disable E-rickshaws mid-transit using the BAT-BMS app, a dangerous trend titled "tirri control."
- Many budget vehicles in India use BMS lacking passwords, allowing anyone within 10 to 15m to connect as easily as an unlocked network, despite Shenzhen Grenergy Technology designing the tool to monitor lithium batteries.
- Some individuals claim they are taking "revenge" on drivers for traffic violations, leaving stranded operators to pay Rs 100-200 to restart their vehicles after being targeted in videos.
- Transport Minister Pankaj Singh directed officials to verify the app's authenticity, warning that the practice is illegal, while The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has begun investigating for public safety risks.
- While Apple removed the app from its App Store, it remains available on Google Play, and tech creator Abhishek Bhatnagar noted manufacturers must configure passwords on systems before handing vehicles over.
36 Articles
36 Articles
Videos appear to show remote shutdowns of E-Tuk-Tuks. India's authorities react with app lock. However, the exact functionality has not yet been verified.
For two days, the Indian internet was flooded with a deluge of humorous videos describing how two Chinese apps could disable the batteries of rickshaws, a favorite form of cheap transportation for residents of the capital. Authorities conducted a thorough review of the actual or perceived potential for harm caused by the apps in question. "Two of them have been removed from online download platforms," S. Krishnan, an official at the Federal Min…
BAT-BMS e-rickshaw hack doesn't prove EVMs can be hacked similarly
Over the past few days, a wave of videos has taken over Indian social media showing something that looks straight out of a spy thriller: a person casually pulls out their phone, taps a button, and a moving e-rickshaw a few metres away simply stops. No wires, no contact, but with an app called BAT-BMS. The clips have racked up millions of views, with people filming themselves pranking rickshaw drivers mid-route, and the panic has spread just as f…
On cam: How e-rickshaw batteries are being switched off with mobile app; driver explains risks
Amid snowballing incidents of miscreants using mobile apps to switch off e-rickshaw batteries and abruptly halt vehicles on the street, Hindustan Times' Gargi Shukla demonstrates how just a few taps on a smartphone can cause e-rickshaws to stop working. Watch the full video for more.
The Indian government has ordered the removal of three applications that allowed to sabotage the moving vehicles by turning them off with the mobile phone. More than 60% of the new three-wheel vehicles registered in the country are now electric and even the market for battery cars continues to record sales.
BAT-BMS, Epoch-i-ion, Other Chinese Apps Banned After Misuse By Remotely Disabling E-Rickshaw Battery
GOI banned the battery management apps that were used by some troublemakers in town to disable running e-rickshaws, disrupting traffic and the poor driver’s livelihood
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