In April 2025, a high-end Zeekr 001 electric vehicle caught fire while charging in central Tashkent. The court determined that the fire was caused by an error during a previous repair and ordered the defendant, E-GO MOTORS LLC, to pay 450 million soums (approximately $36,000) to the plaintiff, Khotambek Mirzaev. The ruling has not yet entered into force, and the parties have been informed of the appeal procedure.
Timeline of events: On April 10 at 01:44, Mirzaev parked his Zeekr 001 at a Tok Bor charging station near the Palace of Arts 'Friendship of Peoples'. Charging started at 01:46 with a battery level of 7%. The owner left the vehicle. At 03:51, the charging session ended with no signs of malfunction. Around 7:30, smoke emerged from the front of the car, and it caught fire. Witnesses alerted the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Repair two months before the fire: On January 25, 2025, Mirzaev visited the Voyah Service Center (owned by EGO-Motors LLC) due to a sudden battery drop from 50% to 0%. Technicians found that one cell under the driver's seat had dropped to 3.73V instead of 4V. On February 7, they balanced the cell to 4V, tested it for two days, and returned the vehicle. The service center warned the owner that using Fast DC chargers could damage the battery and recommended slow AC charging at 7 kW.
Expert examination: On August 12, 2025, the Republican Center for Forensic Examination named after Kh. Suleymanova conducted an analysis. No signs of short circuit were found on the wires, and no voltage surges were recorded in the grid. The vehicle, manufactured on June 14, 2022, had been in use for about three years. The expert concluded that the fire was not due to a manufacturing defect but resulted from a partial replacement of the lithium-ion battery and persistent cell imbalance. 'Any lithium-ion battery requires professional adaptation: internal resistance, age, and capacity must be balanced. Partial replacement contradicts many manufacturers' recommendations,' the report stated.
Court ruling: On May 8, 2026, the Yakkasaray District Interdistrict Court of Tashkent reviewed the case and ordered a second comprehensive examination. The second report, dated April 3, 2026, confirmed that the fire was caused by localized heating and internal short circuit due to incompatible cell resistance and capacity after the repair. The court partially granted the claim, ordering E-GO MOTORS LLC to pay 391,753,000 soums in material damages, 20 million soums for legal representation, 13,663,000 soums for expert fees, 25 million soums for moral damages, and 41,000 soums for postal expenses. The decision is not yet final.
Source: kun.uz