Electric car fires are still rare when we compare them to fossil fuel vehicles. This is due to the inherent stability of the design (no gasoline) and their relative scarcity on our highways. First responders therefore often lack experience of fighting EV fires, says Daily Republic news. Thus, they don’t always realize they can reignite several times.
The Technology Enabling Electric Car Fires to Occur
Auburn Hills Assistant Chief Antonio Macias told Daily Republic that his people don’t always know where to isolate the power source. Manufacturers often locate electric car batteries in “inconspicuous places,” he says. This can make it difficult for first responders to access them.
Firefighting foam isn’t effective unless it’s able to penetrate the car battery’s case, he explains. They have begun using mobile phone apps to quickly learn how to locate and properly disable a car’s power sources. The National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA EV EFG Field Guide explains step by step what to do when electric car fires start to blaze.
Best Practices When Fighting EV Fires
According to Royal Oak Fire Chief, David Cummins, the standard procedure begins with locating the power source. After they rupture the casings, they pour in large amounts of water to cool the batteries. They may also use conventional methods in parallel like applying foam.
They store the auto wrecks in isolated places away from buildings because there could still be individual cells smouldering. Alfie Green, chief of training for the Detroit Fire Department told Daily Republic that water is the “biggest tool” in fighting electric car fires. This can be dangerous according to Auburn Hills Assistant Chief Antonio Macias.
That’s because we need to cool the batteries to keep them from re-igniting, he explains. “You don’t want to mix water and batteries, but unfortunately this is where you got to go.”
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Emergency Responders & Electric Car Fires
Managing Thermal Runaway in EV Batteries
Preview Image: Screen Shot NFPA Field Guide
