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06.1 - EV & EV Charging Fire Safety for Buildings

How safe are electric vehicles & EV charging in buildings from fire?

Fire safety advice for EVs & EV charging in buildings

We're delighted to have assisted the Australian Building Code Board develop foundational & sensible guidance for the safe use, storage & charging of electric vehicles in buildings.

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Our data indicates EVs have a far lower risk of fire than internal combustion engine vehicles, findings we benchmark against country & manufacturer data globally. 

 

But, as with all new technology, there are new risks & challenges when EV battery fires in buildings do occur & we continue to work towards methods & innovations to protect life & property, while also enhancing safety for emergency responders.

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The ACBC Advisory Note has been endorsed by the Australian Building Ministers in their June 2023 Communique, & is drawn from our report Electric Vehicle & Charging Safety for Emergency Response, commissioned by the ABCB & delivered in September 2022.

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The ABCB note contains sensible, low cost, low visual impact EV fire safety considerations for building developers, owners & managers, & reduces the risk of sub-standard charging units & installation as the rapid rollout of charging infrastructure continues.

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Of course, as our collective data, testing & knowledge in this space continues to mature, all information will be reviewed & updated where required.

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View the Advisory Notice here

Watch our explainer webinar here.

ABCB Advisory Note June 2023

Electric Vehicles in Buildings

Click on image to download PDF

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EV FireSafe - Electric Vehicle & Charging Safety for Emergency Response

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Building Ministers Meeting Communique June 2023

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BMM Communique June 2023

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Guidance & information - EV ready buildings

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IFV (Netherlands) Research sprinkler system parking garage

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Click on image to download Word doc (translated)

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IFV (Netherlands) Fire in the Singel garage Alkmaar (fire investigation report)

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Click on image to download Word doc (translated)

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EV FireSafe data analysis
These documents remain the property of EV FireSafe & cannot be used or shared with permission. 

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Data overview & case studies May 2022

 

EV high voltage battery vapour cloud explosion, within a structure, while connected to energised charging

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Passenger EV LiB thermal  runaway with clear images of battery pack during & post incident

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Image & information collated by EV FireSafe's global database 2010-present (September 2022)

Relevant past incidents

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Victorian Big Battery Fire, Fraser Engineering

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Publicly available document

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Literature reviews

Interesting videos

Media articles

NTSB - Safety Risks to Emergency Responders from Lithium-Ion Battery Fires in Electric Vehicles​

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Handling Lithium-Ion Batteries in Electric Vehicles: Preventing and Recovering from Hazardous Events

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Thermal Runaway of Lithium-Ion Batteries without Internal Short Circuit

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Risk management over the life cycle of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles

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2013 NFPA - Best Practices for Emergency Response to Incidents Involving Electric Vehicles Battery Hazards: A Report on Full-Scale Testing Results

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2019 RISE - Fire Safety of Lithium-Ion Batteries in Road Vehicles

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Feb 2020: A Review of Battery Fires in Electric Vehicles

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2017 China Coal Science & Engineering Experimental Study of Fire and Explosion Suppression of self-ignition of lithium ion battery

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UN Global Technical Regulation on the Electric Vehicle Safety (EVS)

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NFCC LiB training

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NFPA: Stranded Energy in Electric Vehicles and Firefighting Challenges

 

Dutch Fire Services - EV Fires

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Vehicles recalled due to fire risk

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BMW recalls plug-in hybrid models due to fire risk

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GM recalls 68,667 Chevy Bolt EVs

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e-Bus depot fire separator concept animation

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CNBC Fires, probes, recalls: The shift to electric vehicles is costing automakers billions

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Bloomberg: No One Seems to Care That EVs Are Catching Fire

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NBC Federal regulators warn of risks to firefighters from electrical vehicle fires

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Fleet Auto News: Vehicle fire data suggests higher incident rate for EVs

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https://www.facebook.com/uniladmag/posts/9275664719123171

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