Flames and smoke from a burning Mercedes-Benz electrical sedan unfold rapidly by the underground parking zone of an condo advanced in South Korea this month. The hearth broken nearly 900 automobiles and 23 individuals suffered smoke inhalation.
It took firefighters greater than eight hours to extinguish the blaze, which reached temperatures of greater than 1,500 levels Celsius, in accordance with officers in Incheon, town close to Seoul the place the fireplace broke out round daybreak on August 1.
Fires are a lot much less widespread in electrical automobiles than gasoline ones, and the reason for the Incheon fireplace has not been revealed. However throughout South Korea, one of many world’s greatest carmakers, it has drawn public consideration for its scale and depth and raised security issues that some say may derail the federal government’s aggressive push into electrical automobiles.
One standard used automobile promoting platform, Ok Automotive, mentioned listings from EV house owners hoping to promote their automobiles had nearly tripled for the reason that fireplace.
“I do know electrical automobiles could be the greener selection, however I am nonetheless afraid of them catching fireplace,” mentioned Lee Min, an workplace employee in Seoul who hopes to purchase her first automobile. “I received much more scared after seeing the incident in Incheon.”
Information protection of the fireplace and social media response to it centered on the perceived dangers of charging the battery, and automakers and authorities officers tried to allay these fears. Seoul’s municipal authorities mentioned it’s going to stop electrical automobiles from being absolutely charged in parking tons beneath residential buildings by the tip of subsequent month, limiting them to 90 p.c capability to stop the chance of overcharging, though some specialists doubt whether or not this may has carried out a lot to enhance security.
Some automakers, together with Mercedes-Benz Korea, have supplied house owners free security checks on their EVs and recognized their battery suppliers. The German automaker mentioned a Chinese language firm, Farasis Vitality, equipped the battery within the sedan that caught fireplace. Farasis didn’t reply to a request for remark.
“The recognition of electrical automobiles will decline for the subsequent time,” mentioned Lee Ho-geun, a professor of automotive engineering at Daeduk College in Daejeon metropolis. “Persons are scared.”
Earlier than the fireplace, South Korea’s EV market was rising quickly, accounting for 9.3 p.c of the nation’s new automobiles final yr, in accordance with official information.
The nationwide authorities has launched subsidies for consumers in addition to tax breaks for electrical automobile makers, a part of an effort to chop greenhouse gasoline emissions by about 40 p.c by 2030 in comparison with 2018 ranges. It hopes to finish gross sales of gasoline automobiles by 2035. The federal government has spent 371.5 billion Korean gained, or about $280 million, to put in charging amenities.
There have been nearly 200 electrical car fires throughout the nation prior to now six-and-a-half years, in accordance with authorities figures. This doesn’t embrace a fireplace at a lithium battery manufacturing unit close to the capital 23 workers killed in June, one of many greatest industrial accidents within the nation in recent times.
Lithium, which is utilized in most EV batteries, can retailer massive quantities of power in a small house, however burns intensely when ignited. There are not any government-approved fireplace extinguishers designed for lithium battery fires, in accordance with South Korea’s nationwide fireplace service.
Electrical automobiles begin up much less usually than different kinds of automobiles. For each 100,000 electrical automobiles, there are solely 25 fires, in comparison with 1,530 for gasoline-powered automobiles, in accordance with america Nationwide Transportation and Security Board. However battery fires might be a lot larger and extra damaging, mentioned Mr Lee, the engineering professor.
Regardless of the statistics, fires expressed concern about the safety of electric cars in lots of nations, together with america. The Incheon fireplace resonated in South Korea as a result of many individuals stay in condo blocks and share underground parking.
Security videos posted by information retailers reveals smoke billowing from the Mercedes EQE 350 earlier than it burst into flames. The car, which was on a ground with a capability of about 2,000 automobiles, was not plugged in on the time, in accordance with the native fireplace division.
A whole bunch of residents have been quickly evacuated from the constructing whereas renovations are underway.
Days after the fireplace, Matthias Weitl, the president of Mercedes-Benz Korea, mentioned the corporate would pay 4.5 billion gained, or about $3.4 million, to affected residents. Mercedes-Benz mentioned in an announcement that it was deeply sorry for everybody affected by the fireplace, however didn’t touch upon the trigger.
The German automobile producer released a list of its battery suppliers after the fireplace and different corporations adopted go well with, together with Hyundai and come on. On the weekend, the federal government mentioned it might require all carmakers to reveal their battery suppliers by early subsequent yr.
The federal government mentioned complete measures to ease public nervousness and guarantee such a mass fireplace doesn’t occur once more, a spokesman mentioned at a televised briefing on Sunday.
Mr Lee, the engineering professor, mentioned the federal government wanted to improve charging infrastructure and fire-fighting methods. He mentioned the 90 p.c battery cost restrict alone was unlikely to stop all fires.
“It is like asking a smoker to smoke two cigarettes as an alternative of three,” he mentioned.
