EV FireSafe
Enhancing safety for emergency responders at electric vehicle
traction battery fires
Welcome to EV FireSafe
With funding from the Australian Department of Defence, EV FireSafe researches electric vehicle battery fires and emergency response, by establishing the world's only detailed and verified incident database for fire in electric cars, buses and trucks, plus specialist EVs in aviation, mining, military and airports.
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This website is the home of our authoritative knowledge, and is freely shared with the aim of enhancing safety for everyone working around EVs. Expert guidance for emergency response, fire investigation and safer EV charging can be found at at dedicated learning platform evfiresafe.training
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Our global team of firefighters and emergency specialists leverage our knowledge to support private businesses and governments recognise and mitigate their battery fire risk.
Research
Jump to the latest data update in multiple languages
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Start with the basics of lithium-ion batteries, EVs and EV charging
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Understand thermal runaway, and the hazards and risks facing emergency responders
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Consulting
Our global team work with clients in a range of sectors to identify and mitigate their battery fire risk, with a Prevent, Prepare, Respond, Recover approach.
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See more on our work in airports, mining and shipping.
Training
Are you EV-ready to respond? Join our global ELECTRIC RESPONDER training program
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Grab your ticket for Electric Responder LIVE 2024 in Melbourne, Australia
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Tear down and investigate an EV battery fire with us
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Identify and mitigate EV fire risk at your EV charging site​​​
Electric Responder LIVE24 is here!
One day, three electric vehicle road rescue demos, four emergency management lectures and a whole bunch of emergency responders...welcome to ELECTRIC RESPONDER LIVE 2024!
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Join us on Saturday 12th October at Calder Park Raceway in Victoria where our globally-recognised expert team will train 360 firefighters, police, paramedics, road rescuers, traffic management, roadside assist, towing and salvage professionals how to safely, efficiently and confidently manage electric vehicle crash, submersion and fire.​​​​
Where:
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When:
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How much:
Calder Park Raceway, 377 Calder Freeway, Calder Park, Victoria, 3211
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Saturday 12th October, 8.30am - 4pm
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EV road rescue demos, lectures, walkarounds and a heap of skills learnt!
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AU$385 pp (incl GST)
At the end of May 2024, we were able to verify 490 electric car battery fires, globally since 2010.
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Of those, 78 were connected to EV charging. Of those 78, 30 were in a carpark.
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Now we have the data, we can reduce the risk through sensible, cost-effective controls using our Fire Safety for EV Charging Sites report.
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It's full of helpful resources to help you design, install and maintain safer EV charging.
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Use coupon 'EVFireSafety50' to get AU$50 off the total price at evfiresafe.training!
What happened to Testla...and why did she catch fire?
When a Tesla Model 3 ran over road debris on a dark country road, the battery was severely damaged and caught fire.
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In collaboration with Tesla Australia, our team tore down and investigated 'Testla*'.
In Testla Tear Down we'll show you how we did it, what we found and what vital information all emergency responders need to know to be safer in an electrified world.
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Complete this online course anywhere from any device, via our dedicated training platform at evfiresafe.training
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*Not a typo! This was our 'test' EV :)
Fully Charged Podcast
Finally, some YouTube influencers we actually want to speak to!
The Fully Charged team work globally to share the pros & cons of electric driving...even the risk of battery fires for drivers & responders.
In this newly released podcast, our Director, Emma Sutcliffe, speaks to Robert Llewellyn about our work, global database & what firefighters really want you to know about EV battery fires.
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.
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This has caused a lot of speculation about the safety of road-registered electric vehicles online.
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But how many electric cars have ACTUALLY caught fire in Australia? Check out our new video providing data-driven context to this question!
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.
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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.
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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?
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We have a growing library of information & insights at our Journal!
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.
