Sales of EVs are booming in Europe but are we equipped to tackle blazes caused by batteries?

euronews (in English)

While EV fires happen less frequently than in traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, they pose very different challenges for first responders.

Transcript

00:00 Electric vehicles have been viewed as a possible route to achieving carbon neutrality.

00:04 They produce fewer emissions than fossil fuel-burning cars by using an electric battery to charge

00:09 their motors.

00:10 But there remains a looming question about EVs.

00:14 What happens in the case of a fire?

00:17 In July 2023, a lithium-ion battery caught fire on a cargo ship off the Dutch coast with

00:22 nearly 3,000 vehicles on board, killing one member of the crew and injuring several others.

00:28 And this year, the city of London has had more than 120 fires caused by EVs and e-scooters,

00:33 resulting in three deaths.

00:35 What's the problem?

00:37 Lithium-ion batteries can increase in temperature rapidly.

00:40 This phenomenon, called "thermal runaway," leads to fires that are hard to extinguish

00:45 and can spontaneously reignite.

00:46 A burning battery also emits a large amount of hydrogen fluoride that is dangerous for

00:52 humans.

00:53 Statistics show that EV fires happen less frequently compared to traditional internal

00:57 combustion engine vehicles.

00:59 But experts say EV fires pose different challenges for first responders.

01:03 As one of the European countries with the highest number of EVs, Sweden has been keen

01:08 to investigate the issue.

01:10 The new technology often involves new unknown risks, which means that learning from the

01:16 past events is extremely important for us, especially when things are quite new.

01:23 Even over the years, we have produced reports, studied, guided in a number of areas where

01:30 we found that we had a lack of knowledge.

01:33 In 2023, this Swedish agency cooperated with extinguisher manufacturers and the automotive

01:39 industry to demonstrate an efficient method for extinguishing fires caused by lithium-ion

01:44 car batteries.

01:45 One method uses a thermal imaging camera to determine areas of high temperature, known

01:50 as hot spots, as well as a safe distance from where operators can intervene.

01:54 Cobra operator then will apply the lance actually directly onto the chassis of the car and then

02:02 inject a small mix of abrasive sand with water to make a small hole in the module.

02:10 This allows us to put ultra-high pressure water within the module at 300 bar and that

02:16 water is able then to move around the modules to cool them.

02:21 And this is the most effective way and simplest way of getting water into the battery pack.

02:25 So we're not piercing the modules themselves, we're basically using water to access the

02:31 module component.

02:32 Other novel methods are being explored in European countries to extinguish EV fires.

02:37 Fire departments in Denmark and Belgium have used special fired extinguishing containers

02:42 to cool down the electric batteries of EVs in water.

02:46 The maritime industry is particularly vigilant about EV fires because they're costly for

02:51 the industry.

02:54 The Danish Institute of Fire and Security has investigated EV fires aboard ferries.

02:59 The biggest difference between an EV car fire and a traditional car comes when it is the

03:06 battery of the EV that burns and not the vehicle.

03:10 When the battery burns, they're typically underneath the vehicle and so the fire can

03:16 develop and spread from below.

03:20 Typically on ships and also in parking garages and other places, one would have an automatic

03:25 sprinkler system which comes from above and goes down.

03:29 And therefore, one of the most important things at a very early time is to provide cooling.

03:35 But really nothing comes down to proper training.

03:38 If you're trained, then you know what to do and hopefully you can safely handle a situation.

03:44 Another occasion where EVs pose a potential risk is when they're charged in an enclosed

03:48 space.

03:49 The European Commission has in 2023 established a task force to develop fire safety guidelines

03:55 for recharging infrastructure.

03:56 There is a good chance that the fire will spread to the proximity of other vehicles

04:01 because the toxic smoke remains in the space and because the structure of the building

04:05 itself may be damaged by the heat and because such fires are very difficult for fire services

04:10 to extinguish.

04:11 However, we are lacking data on fires involving electric vehicles.

04:15 This is where the European Union can play an important role by harmonizing statistical

04:20 methodologies for the collection and analysis of data on EV fires.

04:24 Like any other new technology, EVs come with their own set of challenges and risks.

04:30 Experts say developing new methods and guidance and training firefighters are the only way

04:34 to address fires in EVs.

04:37 Basically not one size fits all.

04:39 Every fire is different and it is important to do your homework.

04:44 You need the right tools and design to address new challenges, new risks.

04:50 Changing regulation can be cumbersome and time consuming and takes time.

04:57 So the technological development far outseats the speed at which new requirements can come.

05:03 So I believe it's really important to emphasize and do more research to better understand,

05:10 to again both find solutions but also to reassure and disprove maybe misconceptions and build

05:21 up the confidence and experience.

05:23 (upbeat music)

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