- The world is watching as EV fires hold making headlines in South Korea.
- Regardless of the panic, statistics present that EVs are thrice much less prone to catch hearth than fuel vehicles within the nation.
- Officers are piloting obligatory State of Cost limits in underground parking garages and at DC Quick Chargers.
Over the previous month, at the least three high-profile EV fires in Korea—every involving a special automotive model—have sparked information tales worldwide.
South Korea has since grow to be the focus of home and worldwide EV skeptics apprehensive {that a} battery-electric of their neighborhood might be the subsequent car on the entrance web page. Now, the folks of Korea are spiraling into an EV-induced panic that resembles the outdated cries of “fan dying.”
Earlier this month, a Mercedes-Benz EQE caught hearth in an underground parking storage 20 miles exterior Seoul. The end result was catastrophic, damaging 140 vehicles and sending 23 folks to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
5 days later, it occurred once more. This time, the offender was a Kia EV6 that ignited whereas charging in a parking zone 100 miles away. Firefighters rapidly introduced the hearth underneath management in about an hour and a half and suspected the trigger to be a battery defect within the Kia (although the precise trigger continues to be underneath investigation).
Now, Tesla can also be underneath the microscope after a Mannequin X took 4 hours to extinguish after going up in flames late final week whereas parking on the facet of the highway.
EV fires aren’t precisely widespread. Regardless of having 544,000 EVs on the highway in 2023, Korea has reported solely 157 EV fires between 2019 and 2023. As for its 12.31 million gas-powered vehicles? The nation’s nationwide hearth company says it had 10,950 studies of fires involving gas-powered autos throughout the identical four-year stint.
This implies, statistically, a gas-powered automobile is thrice extra prone to be concerned in a fireplace than a battery-electric automobile. So why the panic?
Battery fires aren’t precisely simple to place out. It will probably take 1000’s of gallons of water and numerous hours to reliably extinguish an EV hearth. Some EVs are even submerged in water for an prolonged interval to stop the battery hearth from reigniting. This blazing battle has triggered undue panic among the many public and even some EV homeowners.Â
Even U.S. firefighters are involved about EV fires turning into extra commonplace Stateside.
“I’ve by no means had a gasoline automobile hearth I couldn’t put out with 250-500 gallons of water in underneath 5 minutes plus some monitoring and mop up,” wrote one firefighter on Reddit, noting that they often want to shut a freeway for hours to observe emergency pointers for placing out battery-electric automobile fires. “EVs current quite a few extra challenges, like they’ll seem like out and rekindle hours to days later. That doesn’t occur with fuel autos.”
“Something that may burn whereas totally submerged in water terrifies me,” stated one other.
Listings for used EVs are actually seemingly growing because of this. Based on native information, the Korean used auto market noticed an 184% bounce following the primary two fires. Ten % of the newly listed EVs belong to the identical Mercedes-Benz EQ household of autos that caught hearth within the parking storage.
The typical promoting press of used EVs can also be dropping rapidly. Encar, an area used automobile platform, studies that used Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 fashions dropped as a lot as 1.97% in comparison with July and the Tesla Mannequin 3 and Y dropped as much as 3.36%—a “greater-than-average dip in costs for used imported autos.”
South Korean officers met final week to debate an emergency response to the latest EV fires and quell ongoing public considerations. In consequence, it urged automakers to disclose the suppliers of its battery cells to assist instill confidence within the public.
Within the U.S., “Kia America has seen no comparable points however is monitoring intently in case comparable actions are wanted sooner or later,” a spokesperson stated. Likewise, a Hyundai Motor America official informed InsideEVs: “Buyer security is Hyundai Motor Group’s highest precedence. We’ll proceed to work intently with native governments and related authorities to make sure a dependable and protected EV possession expertise.”
In Korea, Mercedes revealed cells equipped LG Vitality Resolution (LGES), CATL, SK, and Farasis Vitality. Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis use cells offered by LGES, SK, and CATL. Tesla says its autos use cells from LGES, Panasonic, and CATL. Whereas it is claimed that the Mercedes that caught hearth was geared up with cells probably equipped by Farasis, it is unclear which cells have been used within the Kia and Tesla, which additionally burst into flames.
In a controversial transfer, officers have additionally deliberate to instill a compulsory most cost restrict in autos. Steering from the Seoul Metropolitan Authorities will restrict an EV’s State of Cost (SoC) to 90% to enter an underground parking storage. Likewise, EVs utilizing DC Quick Chargers will solely be permitted to cost to 80%.
Each native EV homeowners and specialists aren’t satisfied these countermeasures will assist.
“Extreme charging isn’t the governing issue with a fireplace,” stated Yoon Received-Sub, a professor at Sungkyunkwan College who teaches power science and heads a battery analysis heart collectively run by Samsung SDI. “EVs, from the beginning, are designed to by no means attain a full cost, even when the dashboard says they’re one hundred pc. It’s an unproven argument that batteries carry a better hearth danger when totally charged.”
In the meantime, automakers are scrambling to earn again the general public’s belief—one thing important as EV gross sales aren’t taking off like producers deliberate. Mercedes, Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis provide free inspections to their prospects to make sure their batteries are in protected working situations.
