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Canal Motor / Patxi Fernandez
Madrid
Friday, 3 January 2025, 16:12
Up to ten fire crews from Madrid city council's fire brigade put out the fire on an electric vehicle (EV) that was parked in a public car park in Plaza de Colón in the early hours of Monday morning.
An unfortunate occurrence that has generated a great deal of controversy between the advocates of EVs and those who criticise the danger posed by this type of vehicle when a fire breaks out.
Yet the main conclusions of a report prepared by the business association in Spain and Portugal for the promotion of EVs (Aedive), in collaboration with companies and institutions specialising in the field, are that, despite the misinformation, hoaxes and wild stories about EVs easily catching fire, the batteries of electric vehicles actually cause far fewer fires than vehicles with internal combustion engines.
Aedive's report provides data indicating that electric vehicles equipped with advanced safety systems actually present a lower fire risk than internal combustion vehicles. Moreover, current statistics from countries with high EV market take-up show that the probability of an EV catching fire is lower than that of a combustion vehicle relative to the total number of vehicles. [Click here to access the report]
The report clarifies that, while lithium-ion batteries may present fire risks, these can be eliminated or controlled through proper design, implementation of advanced monitoring systems and rigorous safety measures.
In a lithium battery, due to its physical-chemical configuration, exothermic reactions occur while in operation. Those fitting any battery gear must be aware of the associated risks and work with the tech specialists to understand the particular characteristics of each battery in terms of risk control.
The intrinsic safety of the battery is related to the safety of its component cells. "The concept of safety must be incorporated from the beginning: in engineering, design and manufacturing, including the necessary controls throughout the process," the report says.
According to Aedive, it is vitally important as such to certify the materials and tests on the battery's cells and to comply with all the quality controls, thus avoiding failures. In addition, one of the objectives in the design phase of a battery is focused on the monitoring systems for the correct early detection of any incident, thus facilitating action.
Technologies such as real-time monitoring and management of battery cell operating data, intelligent prediction of possible failures in the cells that make up the battery and early warning of possible incidents based primarily on temperature monitoring should be used.
To ensure this happens, data sampling, management and processing techniques are used. In addition, the computer-based system uses the "sampling failure" detection algorithm to identify possible faults in the control system itself (BMS board, sensors, communications, and so on) and acts accordingly.
In a battery the origin of any fire and/or overheating is located in a specific cell. From this starting point the risk is that the fire will spread to the cell pack and then to adjacent cell packs, forming a chain reaction, leading to what is nowadays called a "thermal runaway". The risk can be minimised if the spread is quickly stopped. Therefore, the design of batteries provides for insulation systems for each different part of the battery, thereby controlling the risk of spread.
Aedive has all the answers to such queries in the guide section of this report. "In reality all vehicles, including electric vehicles, come with a 'rescue sheet' for the emergency services that, in the case of electric vehicles, provides information on where the battery is to be disconnected, where there may be high-voltage equipment, how to handle the vehicle taking into account the layout of the battery, as well as other elements."
The rescue sheet is an infosheet that incorporates all the technical information needed to open up a vehicle quickly and safely. It has a standard format, valid for the whole of Europe. Why is it useful? Put simply, because if it is accessible inside the vehicle, any rescue team can have it immediately upon arriving at the incident, understand it and use it to make the process of freeing any casualty done as quickly and safely as possible.
If the fire breaks out inside the vehicle then the danger is greater as the seats and roof are made of highly flammable materials and can generate toxic smoke. After turning off the ignition, the best thing to do in this case (if you do not have a fire extinguisher) is to close the doors and windows so that oxygen cannot get in and the flames are extinguished more quickly.
Some of the main companies from the entire electric mobility world have collaborated and participated in Aedive's guide part of the report: Huawei, Iberdrola, Naturgy, Mutua Madrileña, Cesvimap, Wenea and the Jovellanos Centre, a training centre for maritime safety and rescue services ('Sociedad de Salvamento y Seguridad Marítima', a unit that comes under the responsibility of central government's Transport ministry).
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