The South Korean Government and ruling People Power Party met on August 25, 2024 to discuss mandating electric vehicle battery information. This was after a devastating electric car battery fire in an apartment building basement, that had city residents up in arms. The two parties agreed to mandate South Korea battery certification, and are moving rapidly to implement this decision.
South Korea World First to Mandate Battery Certification
This is a world-first for the transport industry, that traditionally keeps its component suppliers secret in a ‘spy-versus-spy’ game. This tactic has ensured that Korean electric vehicle purchasers had little idea who made the batteries under their seats, until now..
However, this is all about to change, in South Korea at least. This is because the meeting between the South Korean Government and ruling People Power Party decided otherwise. We picked up on the details from Yonhap News Agency on August 25, 2024:
- Plans were already in progress before the dramatic apartment basement fire that we referred to earlier.
- Those plans required electric vehicle manufacturers to obtain battery safety certification by February 2025.
- However, the implementation date for South Korea battery certification will now move forward.
Other New Measures to Control Electric Car Fires
The actual implementation date for South Korea battery certification is unavailable at the time of writing. Although we have heard that the following additional measures are included in the package:
- The parties at the meeting agreed to deploy specialized fire-fighting equipment to all fire stations.
- They will conduct free annual battery checks, and distribute 90,000 smart chargers to prevent overcharging.
- Moreover, all ‘newly constructed’ apartment buildings will have sprinklers able to detect, and prevent fires.
These additional measures respond to public safety concerns following a fire in a parked Mercedes Benz car. This ravaged the parking basement in a Seoul apartment in Incheon, and damaged 100, and destroyed more than 40 cars.
More Information:
Electric Car Battery Secrets Coming Out
