EV FireSafe
Enhancing safety for emergency responders at electric vehicle
traction battery fires
A note to 'social media influencers' from our Director;
Road-registered electric vehicles (EVs) are inherently safe to drive, park & charge. EV battery fires are rare, & typically occur following battery manufacturing faults or massive battery abuse. While EVs pose new risks & challenges for emergency responders, ALL vehicles catch fire & can lead to serious & dangerous hazards for responders, particularly firefighters.
Our research aims to support a SAFER transition to decarbonised transport for everyone. Do not make the mistake of thinking we are anti-EV.
I am constantly disappointed, & often disgusted, by the misuse of our hard work. This site is designed for the benefit of responders, not for you to take out of context for sponsored cheap clicks on your video or post.
This site is full of carefully researched, data-driven information. Please use it accordingly. Our FAQs page is a good place to start.
New electric vehicle battery fire risk?
To assist with emergency response to electric vehicle battery fires we categorised lithium-ion batteries.
A new & emerging risk we're seeing is in the Light Delivery Electric Vehicle sector. Many seem to have the poor quality of ebikes & escooters (Light Electric Vehicles), but are road registered.
But, importantly, they're not subject to the stringent regulation & testing that EVs are.
Are these the new lithium-ion battery fire risk?
How many EVs have caught fire in Australia?
In the space of 24 hours, two lithium-ion battery fires have happened in NSW; one due to road debris hitting the underside of an EV & another that had been removed from an EV & left in a carpark.
This has caused a lot of speculation about the safety of road-registered electric vehicles online.
But how many electric cars have ACTUALLY caught fire in Australia? Check out our new video providing data-driven context to this question!
EV LiB fires June 2023 stats released + all EV type comparison
We've just released our fifth EV battery fires snapshot, examining 375 verified incidents. This infographic outlines how many were connected to charging, when they occurred & responders risks.
From 1st January 2023 we started tracking ALL electrified transport battery fire incidents, including battery electric buses, trucks & light electric vehicles (e-bikes, e-scooters etc).
A lot of misinformation about EV fire risk in buildings is spread online, causing unnecessary angst for site owners installing EV charging.
In 2022, we were commissioned by the Australian Building Code Board to look at charging connected EV LiB incidents, a report that has now been endorsed by state & federal buildings ministers.
See our break down of findings & data by clicking on the button. If you'd like to know more about this report & our research, you'll also find a link to join our free webinar on 6th July at 11am.
EV battery fires in airports - what are the new challenges?
The global aviation industry has entered an era of significant technological innovation, driven by government decarbonisation policies and industry initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, to achieve Net Zero targets by 2050.
Our newest team member, an Airports & Emergency Management Specialist, has written an issues paper to help identify the challenges of EV battery fires in the aerodrome environment.
As EVs become more common, responders will naturally see more involved in road traffic accidents. Isolating HV systems to the traction battery in a passenger EV makes the vehicle safer for responders to work around, particularly if extrication is required.
Here are the ways emergency responders can isolate HV systems in electric vehicles.
Why are e-buses catching fire? How many EVs have burnt on ships? How often does vapour cloud explosion happen? And what are those popping noises in a burning EV?
We have a growing library of information & insights at our Journal!
Electric vehicle vapour cloud explosions are very rare, but it's vital for all emergency responders to know the early warning signs of thermal runaway & understand the risk of explosion.
We look at the stats & case studies from around the world.
