How safe are Electric Vehicles? Do Electric Vehicles catch fire?
I was recently surprised at the results of a short advert we ran to attract those with Electric Vehicles to get a home chargepoint from us. It wasn’t from those who contacted us about EV Chargers but how many commented about Diesel being safer than electric cars and the fire risk that they could cause. We felt this should be addressed as the noise seemed very one sided. We’ve used what we believe to be trusted sources, with links provided, for readers to investigate further.
The alleged EV that caught first at Luton Airport in October in 2023 hit the headlines and the social media channels but turned out to be a diesel Range Rover destroying about 1400 other parked cars https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-68627759. Over 100 firefighters battled with the blaze in what was thought to be started by an electrical fault to the vehicle that had recently entered the airport.
The Guardian published an article in November last year that looked at the likelihood of electric versus diesel/petrol cars catching fire and the data was more positive for EVs. In the article it shows data from a few Scandinavian countries which lead the way in EV ownership. In Norway it says that there are between 4 to 5 times more fires in diesel and petrol cars compared to electric vehicles. It also reports that the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency give the figures as being 3.8 cars per 1,000 EVs or hybrids compared to 68 fires per 1,000 when taking all fuel types into account.
So, how does an electric vehicle catch fire? The Lithium Ion batteries store energy in cells. If the battery should overheat, it can set off an electro-chemical chain reaction known as a thermal runaway, meaning it continues to self-heat seeing temperatures continue to climb uncontrollably. It makes the fires more difficult to put out too. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590174522001337
Looking at all types of lithium-ion batteries (used across different industries and applications), the causes of fires are listed as overcharging or rapid charging leading to excessive currents, electrical faults caused by short circuiting and/or manufacturing defects, extreme temperatures (climate) and physical damage caused by crushing or puncturing the battery. However, itt is unlikely that an EV will catch fire without warning https://www.evfiresafe.com/ev-fire-faqs
What it means for firefighters is that they have to tackle the blaze in the different way: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/electric-cars/how-much-fire-risk-are-electric-vehicles
There are concerns with e-bikes and e-scooters where tests are not as rigorous as they are with EVs. For example, they don’t go through the extensive development process as you would with an electric vehicle or hybrid, and are recalls are not as prevalent as they are in the car industry. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/20/do-electric-cars-pose-a-greater-fire-risk-than-petrol-or-diesel-vehicles
In conclusion as a owner of an electric vehicle for over 7 years there is more we need to understand about Lithium ion batteries but that doesn’t mean they are unsafe to be used to power cars that are far better for the environment.
We hope that customers are able to make an informed choice based on clear information instead of scare-mongering. Tewdric will certainly be continuing to research cleaner, greener energy solutions so perhaps readers may want to subscribe to our blog and newsletter to keep ahead too (there’s always space for a gentle plug for new subscribers, right?)?