A fire caused by a battery electric vehicle in South Korea has raised concerns on Chinese-made high-voltage lithium-ion batteries as well as the safety of EVs in general.
Last August 1, a Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan suddenly burst into flames inside an underground parking lot in an apartment complex in Cheongna International City in Incheon. Firefighters took more than eight hours to put out the fire and as a result, 140 vehicles were destroyed or blackened and at least 23 people received hospital treatment for smoke inhalation (read about how extinguishing EV fires is different).
Surveillance footage showed smoke coming out of the vehicle before it suddenly burst into flames. The Mercedes-Benz EQE was not being charged at the time of the explosion.
The investigation is now centering on the EQE’s lithium-ion battery which is manufactured by China’s Farasis Energy. In 2018, Farasis signed a 10-year battery supply contract with Daimler, Mercedes-Benz’s parent company and in 2020, Mercedes-Benz took a 3 percent stake to jointly develop EV batteries.
The Farasis battery used in the Mercedes-Benz EQE is a lithium-ion battery with a Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM) construction. In 2021, China’s state-owned Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC) recalled 31,963 electric vehicles equipped with Farasis batteries, citing the possibility of battery fires under certain conditions.
Chinese lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries used by the likes of BYD have proven their quality and safety in the market. However, there are still doubts as to the quality and safety of China’s NCM technology. Industry analysts say the Chinese may have taken shortcuts to improve battery yield.
Mercedes-Benz Korea expressed “deep regret” over the parking lot fire and vowed to fully cooperate with investigators in a statement sent to Yonhap, a Korean news agency.
According to data from Korea’s National Fire Agency, the number of fires caused by EVs has been on the rise in recent years, from just three in 2018 to 72 in 2023.
As EVs continue to grow in number, concerns over the safety of their batteries also rise.
To prevent similar accidents, lawmakers proposed a bill on Friday to install more firefighting resources near EV charging systems in parking lots.
Private buildings have also started taking more drastic measures. Several office buildings have now banned EVs from entering and parking or suspended the use of chargers, while apartments are advising EV owners to be cautious when they charge their cars. Some shipping companies have refused to transport EVs altogether.
In the Philippines, despite the proliferation of charging stations, firefighters have not been formally trained on how to take out EV fires. This has prompted some companies to ban or restrict the parking of EVs in their premises.
Kaya di talaga ako convince sa mga bumabahang chinese EVs no matter how good looking and innovative they look. BYD lang talaga by far nakikita kong may quality,.
ReplyDeleteChinese batteries are risky indeed.
ReplyDeleteBirth pains, maybe in 5 - 10 years EV's will be safer as ICE
ReplyDeleteHow much will the premium for an ev insurance since the risk of fire and damage to others is a concern
ReplyDeleteSame insurance policy premium
DeleteElectric Vehicles are inherently unsafe as lithium is a highly flammable raw material that mere transport of lithium batteries is strictly regulated. I've seen lots of videos of EV's of all makes spontaneously combusting while parked and specially when charging. Its normal for cars to mechanically break down but its a different matter for cars spontaneously smoking then burning. It is very dangerous to car owners, passengers and fellow motorists, nearby parked cars and to one's property. ICE cars are still the best choice.
ReplyDeleteI think it's high time for the government and BFP to conduct training programs for fire fighters regarding EV's. Unahan na nila before pa may mangyari para at least in some way they are prepared to handle incidents
ReplyDeleteOnly the lithium iron phosphate battery of CATL and BYD are safe. Even Hyundai and Kia batteries fail and they cost more than a million to replace. These are well documented in YouTube
ReplyDeleteI have seen news that BYD has had 10 showrooms on fire in China, even though media can be heavily censored
DeleteSame sentiment with BYD fire. From their statement from old electrical wiring daw yung cause of fire. So I guess all 10 showrooms have bad wirings. smh.haha But regardless of car brands EV are still not safe and how malls put up charging stations in basement parking is not a good idea.
DeleteScary to own an EV, after all...
ReplyDeleteEven ice aren't that safe from fire anyways, talk about the recent mazda cx9 that got burned, that vehicle isn't chinese, not even an ev.
ReplyDeleteWhen ICE cars burns down they don't take a whole building or 140 cars with them. EV battery fires are difficult to put out needing specialized chemicals or a whole lot of water.
DeleteBakit parang tahimik ang media sa nasunog na CX9?
DeleteIn case you want to know:
Delete1. Mazda has reached out to the owner.
2. Mazda is coordinating with authorities to find out what caused the fire, but as ABS-CBN has reported, it's likely caused by the vehicle's battery.
It's not yet the right time to buy an EV. It's still in its infancy. Better to wait for better batteries to come, particularly solid-state batteries.
ReplyDeleteNasusunog din ice but mas scary and damaging ang sunog ng ev. Kahit mga bumbero abroad takot nag training na sa ev fires. Unpredictable sunog ng ev. Maybe after a while ok na ev but for now pass muna. Masama na masunogan ng kotse mas worse if pati bahay ko at ng iba madamay
ReplyDelete