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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.

 

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Click on image to download Word doc (translated)

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

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

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

Literature reviews

Interesting videos

Media articles

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

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

Thermal Runaway of Lithium-Ion Batteries without Internal Short Circuit

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

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

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

Feb 2020: A Review of Battery Fires in Electric Vehicles

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

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

NFCC LiB training

NFPA: Stranded Energy in Electric Vehicles and Firefighting Challenges

 

Dutch Fire Services - EV Fires

Vehicles recalled due to fire risk

BMW recalls plug-in hybrid models due to fire risk

GM recalls 68,667 Chevy Bolt EVs

e-Bus depot fire separator concept animation

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

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

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

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

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