"tHE ProBLem wItH Evs ArE that ThEY cHatCH FiRE EASiLy".
No. Please don't believe this. This is a misinformation spread by EV skeptics who only read headlines but do not dive deeper into the issue.
Where did this myth come from?
The myths that EVs are extremely prone to fires come from media attention.
Electric cars gained traction in the early 2010s with the rise of companies like Tesla and BYD. During the early years of electric motoring, headlines that included the words "EVs" or "Electric Vehicles" would receive considerable attention.
With the rise of social media and the changing ways at which humans consumed media, media outlets competed for online attention and views. The convenient way out was to report on the most controversial topics. Back then, it was EVs.
In Singapore, our first foray into electric motoring was actually the humble electric bicycles and electric scooters. It was then one of the hottest topics all across the land as some irresponsible users thought that travelling at 40kph down a 1.5m wide pedestrian walkway was a safe and meaningful activity, while others simply did not. E-bike and E-scooter users looked for many ways to modify their "vehicles" to go even faster. This resulted in many fires, accidents, injuries, and even deaths. More often than not, a household fire attributed to E-bikes and E-scooters are because they were improperly modified.
Due to the polarity of the issue, media outlets began intensifying their reports on E-bikes and E-scooter fires. EVs were also beginning to gain popularity around the same time, and got the same media attention.
What is the TRUTH then?
Not all batteries are the same. Current vehicle batteries are split into 2 types. Lithium Iron Ploymer (LiFePo4 or LFP) and Nickel Cobalt Manganese (NCM).
NCM batteries are technically superior to LFP batteries, offering higher energy densities and higher charge and discharge rates. However, NCM batteries falls far short on durability and safety.
Battery safety is measured by THERMAL RUNAWAY, or in layman terms, the temperature at which the battery self ignites and remain burning until all chemicals in the batteries are exhausted. NCM batteries have a typical thermal runaway temperature of 210 °C. LFP batteries have a higher typical thermal runaway temperature of 270 °C.
Apart from thermal runaway, battery penetration safety is also extremely important. In an NCM battery, a small puncture in the cell creates a chemical reaction that immediately self ignites. The chemical instability of NCM batteries augments this reaction, creating an explosion-like force. LFPs, on the other hand, are far far more stable than NCM batteries. Puncturing an LFP battery destroys the cell, but does nothing else other than that.
The reason why early Teslas and BYDs catch fire almost immediately after an accident is attributed to cell-puncture safety. The industry has learned from the hard lessons and are therefore, stepping up the development of LFP and other safer battery chemistries. Simply put, early EVs caught fire because the wrong type of batteries were used.
But...EVs are still catching on fire!
Yes. I am not going to say that EVs do not catch fire at all. But you should also not forget that ICE cars are, too, a fire risk. After all, petrol catches fire even more easily than LFP batteries!
But don't take my word for it. Let's look at the numbers. In a research funded by Australia's Department of Defense, it is found that based on global EV fires from 2010 to 2020, the chance of a passenger EV catching fire stands at 0.0012%. ICE vehicles are estimated to have a chance of 0.1%. There are also several studies noting that as of current data points, EVs are less likely to catch fire compared to ICE vehicles.
It is also important to bear in mind that the reported data are mostly before the intensified use of LFP batteries.
So, What's the Problem?
The problem with EV fires is not whether they can catch fire easily or not. That has been debunked. The problem is how to put them out.
When EV batteries burn (be it NCM or LFP), putting them out is a huge challenge. You may have heard of news articles that the batteries continue to burn hot and self-ignite even after it has been put out. After a high profile EV fire when Richard Hammond from the Grand Tour crashed his Rimac Concept One in 2017, the fire department had difficulty ensuring the resulting fire was completely put out. In fact, the car continued igniting for FIVE DAYS.
Such is the problem of EVs. Yes, the industry has learned from that incident. Battery compartments have been strengthened and fire departments have been better trained to manage EV fires. But the keyword here is 'manage'. You simply cannot extinguish an LFP or NCM battery fire.
Unless solid state batteries become commercially viable, we are stuck with this problem. LFP batteries are alot less likely to catch fire. But if one does, all you can do is manage the fire and let it burn in a controlled manner.
What's Next?
You do not need to be worried about battery fires in EVs, especially in modern vehicles equipped with LFP batteries. However, you should not take it for granted. There are a few steps to minimise your risks of an EV fire;
Make sure the EV charger you are using is properly installed, certified and regularly serviced
Monitor the temperature of battery cells and treat battery overheating with utmost concern. If a battery overheat warning is shown, turn the vehicle off immediately and contact your dealer and the fire department. Exit the vehicle if possible.
If you have met an accident, turn the vehicle off immediately and contact your dealer and the fire department. Maintain a distance of 5m from the vehicle until certified technicians have completed their checks.
If you are not going to be using your car for some time, discharge it to a level lower than 70% and do not plug the car into a charger.
With these precautions in place, you will be safe and you can continue to enjoy the many benefits of owning an EV.
-Ryan, Director, EcoSwift
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